Lizzie's First Year
by Luckner
Summary: Evil can never be completely destroyed, like the Hydra it always sprouts a new head and returns. Harry Potter knew this, and in her first year at Hogwarts his daughter Elizabeth learned it as well. Sequel to Sword of Astragal. Complete
1. Chapter 1

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

Rating: T – English – Action/Adventure/Romance

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes: **This is a sequel _Harry Potter and the Sword of Astragal_. It's out of canon with HBP. In my story Dumbledore still lives; Snape is not a traitor, and Harry Potter believes the war is over.

The name of Lizzie's pet wolf, Piowackket, is taken from the witches' familiar in the movie _Bell, Book and Candle_, and no infringement is intended.

**Background Notes: **Voldemort is dead, and the wizarding world is at peace. Harry Potter has married his own true love, and together they have set forth towards a bright future. A year later, on exactly the same day, two rather unique children are born in Ottery St. Catchpole: Elizabeth Grace Potter and Ron Weasley Jr. But even then, evil forces were planning the ruthless destruction of this idyllic picture; only two young children, and their parents, might be able to prevent a return to the darkness of the past.

**CHAPTER 1: BEST FRIENDS**

"Faster!" the woman screamed, as she turned briefly from the window to watch the House Elves as they hurriedly packed the few trunks that she would be able to take. She turned once again back to the window and drew the heavy drapes aside. She peered out into the darkness of the night, dreading what she might see; but all was silent and still. There was yet time, albeit precious little.

Turning back to the elves she was enraged to see that the packing was not yet completed. Her cold blue eyes flashed with raw fury as she withdrew the wand from her robes and cast a spell on the elf nearest her. With a squeak of pain the helpless creature disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving only a small burned spot on the rich Persian carpet. "I said faster!" she screamed.

The elves, in absolute terror, were now literally throwing clothing into the trunks; fearful of another demonstration of the terrible wrath of their mistress. After incinerating the helpless elf, her eyes had once again returned to the window, and the neatly manicured gardens that lay beyond; but all was still quiet.

At that very moment a spirit of general celebration was sweeping through the wizarding communities of Europe, for the Dark Lord was now dead. The Ministry of Magic had immediately announced that both Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood were to receive the Order of Merlin in a grand ceremony to be held in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. No one had really thought to ask the two teens if they wanted such awards; because if they had, they would have learned that medals were the last thing on their minds. What Harry and Luna really wanted was to settle down and begin a peaceful life together; but that would have to wait until all the commotion died down.

But within the walls of this ancient manor house, built on a lonely crag near the Welsh border, there was no spirit of jubilation, only one of mourning. The family that had lived there had traced their lineage back over one hundred generations. One hundred generations of power, privilege, and cruelty. This was a family that had always prided itself on its wealth, power, and the purity of its blood. But now there was only two left, only two surviving members of the once-great house of Malfoy.

Narcissa Malfoy turned from the window and noted with grim satisfaction that the packing was now complete. She would have to flee quickly before members of Dumbledore's accursed Order of the Phoenix arrived to take her into custody. She had only learned a few hours before that both her son Draco and Lord Voldemort, whom she had worshiped as a god, had fallen before that upstart Harry Potter. The shock was almost too much for her to endure, but endure it she must; and she would yet return for her revenge. The thought of that revenge would give her the strength that she would need in the months to come.

But for now, escape was the order of the day. And so, with her infant daughter Helena, Narcissa Malfoy would flee from the country of her birth and seek sanctuary elsewhere. Like her mother, the child had blond hair and blue eyes. But the child's innocence had not yet been corrupted by years of exposure to the dark forces in the world; there would be enough time for that later. The baby had been born six months to the day after her Father, Lucius Malfoy, had been killed in the Battle of Avalon. But Narcissa had made sure that the infant had received the sacred rites that consecrated her life to Hecate, the protectress of witches. Now, with both her son and the Dark Lord dead, there was nothing for her but to take the child and flee from England.

There were those who would later say that she fled out of fear that she would be punished for her crimes, and the crimes of her family. But they were wrong. Narciaas Malfoy was a Death Eater in her own right as well as the last member of the House of Black; which had produced more dark witches and wizards than any other family in England. This was a witch who would never surrender to the forces of light, and would not run like a coward in the night. The battle had been lost, but as she stole away from her home in the wee small hours in the morning, she fully intended to carry on the war. Late that night the two crossed the Channel to France, disguised as a muggle mother and child going on holiday. This was yet another indignity that Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter made her suffer, and for which she was determined to have her revenge.

And so began her long search, one that would take Narcissa Malfoy through the most remote towns and villages of Eastern Europe. During the hard months that followed she suffered from hunger, loneliness and frequent unsheltered nights; but they only served to strengthen her resolve. Finally, in the wild country of northern Greece, she found sanctuary among a coven of dark witches dedicated to the worship of Hecate. This coven, which dated from the days of ancient Greece, consecrated their worship with torture and blood sacrifice. These practices made them outcast from other worshipers of the goddess; for Hecate would never condone such grisly offerings. Nevertheless, Narcissa felt quite at home in this group, taking great pleasure in the torture of muggles as practiced by the coven. With her vast knowledge of the dark arts, Narcissa Malfoy rose quickly within their ranks; and upon the death of their leader took over the leadership role herself. This position gave her the tool that she needed to accomplish her mission; that being the control of a dark coven knowledgeable in the practices of ancient dark magic.

With her immediate safety secured, she began to develop a plan so evil that even the Dark Lord himself would be proud. Realizing that her design would take a dozen years or more to execute, she immediately set about learning the complicated spells and charms necessary to make it work. But Narcissa Malfoy had all the patience of her master, and she was willing to wait for such a perfect revenge.

Like her sister Belletrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy had nurtured the evil that was within her through years of worshiping the Dark Lord. In fact, Lord Voldemort had always considered the two sisters to be his strongest supporters. Now she had developed a plan of perfect revenge, one that would use her own daughter as a pawn to destroy her enemies and the forces of light.

o

Twelve years later very different events were taking place in a small forest near the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, County of Devon, in the south of England. There a young boy with flaming red hair hovered on his broomstick about twenty meters above the forest floor, trying in vain to watch in all directions at the same time.

Ronnie Weasley was worried, he had the strange feeling that he was about to be ambushed. There was no sign of her, but he knew that she was close by. Even when they were small they seemed able to sense each other's presence. Perhaps it was because they shared the same birthday, the 10th of July; or perhaps it was because they had been best friends for as long as either of them could remember. But there had always existed a unique bond between the two children, a bond that they had always reveled in. And now Ronnie Weasley knew that Lizzie Potter was close by, and getting closer.

Suddenly he heard a high-pitched scream, and a small figure darted past him on a bright orange broom. She tagged him lightly on the arm and disappeared into the trees off to the right, her long dirty-blond hair streaming out behind her like a pennant. No one was as good at broom-tag as Lizzie Potter was, and she knew this forest like the back of her hand. Ronnie was disgusted by how easily she had crept up on him, made even more amazing by the fact that she always wore a purple "Weasley-jumper" and flew on a bright orange broom. He never ceased to be amazed by how effectively she could blend in with the green colors of the forest; but he guessed that was just one of Lizzie's gifts, of which she had many.

He sighed deeply and began to weave in and out among the trees looking for one of the others; he knew that he would never catch Lizzie, not in these woods. But then off to his right he caught sight of movement in the tree-tops. There, about forty meters off the ground, he saw his cousins Heather and Holly Longbottom hiding among the upper branches of an ancient oak tree.

The twin sisters always seemed to be whispering together, as identical twins do, and Ronnie thought that there was a good chance that he could sneak up on them. He silently glided into the leafy branches of a nearby tree, and took a moment to analyze the forest around him. Like his Father, the young boy had a natural gift for strategy and tactics. The two girls had ceased their whispering and were now carefully watching the woods around them; as if they too could sense an attack coming.

Ronnie realized that a direct attack was out of the question; as they would flee the moment they saw him coming. No, this would require stealth and planning. He could see that the ground had a heavy covering of vegetation, and that, combined with the lower branches of the tree, obscured their vision of the ground. That would therefore be his best line of attack.

He turned his broom around and silently retreated the way he had come, nearly running into a hidden Lizzie Potter as he did so. Lizzie wasn't bad at strategy herself, as Ronnie knew from the many games of Wizard Chess that the two had played, and she realized that the safest place for her to be was behind Ronnie. After tagging her best friend she had circled around and come up behind, and had been following him ever since.

After he passed by without seeing her, she watched as he circled around to the west in a wide arc. She moved carefully forward in the direction from which he had come, and saw Heather and Holly hovering high in the tree opposite her. In a flash she could see his plan. Of course she could always warn the twins, but that simply wouldn't be good form. Besides, it was more fun to play teams with Ronnie. So Lizzie simply watched the two sisters from her own hiding place in the tall tree.

Ronnie had circled around to approach the tree from behind, where the vegetation was the thickest. He came in low to the ground, well out of their field of vision, and picked his way carefully around the bushes so as to make as little noise as possible. Then, timing it perfectly, he shot straight up along the trunk of the tree, and before they could even react, tagged Heather lightly on the arm. He continued to accelerate skywards, and shot out through the topmost branches of the tree. It was a daring strategy, but just what you would expect from the son of one of England's top professional Quidditch players. And then he flew off to the west, and Lizzie soon joined him.

"Nice move," she said in admiration.

"Thanks; you taught it to me," he answered, not at all surprised that she had been watching.

The two children always preferred to play together on the same team; partly because they were both skillful and talented flyers. But more than that, they knew that they could always trust and depend on each other.

At that moment they were both riding the new brooms that they had received for their eleventh birthdays, just a few weeks before. In the dense forest they were unable to employ the superior speed of the new Firebolts, but the intricate maneuvering through the branches was made much easier.

Ronnie's father, Ron Weasley, had tried to give his son a new broom on his birthday of the previous year; but the young boy would have none of it. He simply told his father that he loved his old broom, and would he please take the new one back. But that wasn't the true reason; Ronnie just didn't want to have a better broom than his best friend had. Lizzie Potter still had the old broom that her mother had given her when she was nine. The young boy just thought that his father couldn't understand that the boy wouldn't accept an advantage over his best friend; but Lizzie certainly understood. But perhaps Ronnie was wrong about his Father, because on their eleventh birthday both children received identical new Firebolts, and they were both thrilled. The only difference was that Lizzie's broom was the bright pumpkin orange color that had always been her favorite, as it was her Mother's before her.

Heather and Holly had no real chance of catching either Ronnie or Lizzie; even though they were talented flyers in their own right and it had been allowed for the two of them to play as a team. They made a half-hearted attempt to search for their cousin and his friend, but they knew it was of little use. They soon gave up and the four of them found another game. As the day grew warmer the four children ventured deeper into the woods to a secluded pool and waterfall. It was a magical place, and a favorite haunt of theirs; especially on warm summer days. They were all eleven-years-old, and would be starting their first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a little over two weeks. This would likely be one of their last chances to run free in the woods, and swim in the pool. It was the perfect place to spend a hot summer day; the water was always cool and refreshing, and Lizzie's Father had transfigured the waterfall into a natural slide.

o

Lizzie and Ronnie had spent the last six years attending the muggle school in the village, where they learned the basic skills of reading, writing, mathematics, and muggle history. But now they were going to a school where they could learn magic, and make friends with children of their own kind. Neither Ronnie nor Lizzie seemed to conform very well to muggle school, but then neither of them really tried very hard to fit in. They were both from magical families, and tended to be most comfortable with their own kind.

In Ronnie's first year of muggle school the class bully had began to pick on the young boy because of his bright red hair. Even at such a young age Ronnie Weasley was not the kind of boy to back down to anyone, and on more than one occasion his fiery temper got him into trouble. This time it resulted in a schoolyard fight against a previously undefeated opponent. The other children watched, but none stepped forward to help the young boy; all of them thinking that it was better not to get involved. To everyone's surprise, the young boy began to land some effective blows, and the older boy soon had to call on his two cronies to help him. The tide of battle began to steadily turn against the Ronnie, and the three older boys forcing him into a corner; then out of nowhere Lizzie Potter charged into the fight. Using all of her strength, she tackled one of the older boys and knocked him to the ground, and then began to beat him with her clenched fists. Ronnie knocked a second boy down, and the third one ran away in fear. It was clearly a rout, and after that the school bullies left the two odd children alone.

Ronnie would have gotten into many more fights at school, except that Lizzie seemed to have a naturally calming effect on the boy. A few years later it would be Ronnie's turn to return the favor.

Lizzie Potter was by nature terribly shy, so her outburst against the school bullies was rather out of character. She rarely spoke to anyone outside a very small circle of friends and family, and Ronnie usually ended up doing the talking for both of them. With people she knew and trusted, the girl was lively and animated; but outsiders saw her as rather odd and unfriendly. A young girl might be able to deal with a degree of shyness quite successfully, as many young girls are able to, but in addition to shyness Lizzie had inherited a strong streak of stubbornness from her Father. Her close friends and family could deal with it quite easily, using simple logic to make Lizzie see their point of view; but the combination of shyness and stubbornness made Lizzie Potter a nightmare for her teachers.

A new teacher came to Ottery St. Catchpole at the beginning of her sixth year of muggle school, and he seemed to take an immediate dislike to the young girl. Lizzie never liked to wear dresses, thinking they were silly and rather impractical. After all, you couldn't climb trees or play soccer in a dress, and Quidditch was nearly impossible. She always thought that jeans were much more sensible, and that was what she always wore. This teacher, however, thought that young ladies should be properly attired in dresses. He made his views quite clear to his class immediately after his arrival, and the other girls chose to adopt a submissive attitude and conform to his wishes; but not Lizzie Potter. Not willing to accept defeat at the hands of this rather odd-looking child, and knowing that he had no real authority to enforce such a dress code, the teacher decided that the best way to ensure conformity was through open humiliation of the child before her classmates.

"What are you, a girl or a boy? Girls wear dresses and boys wear jeans," he declared in a mocking tone in front of the whole class. The other students laughed at her embarrassment; all that is except Ronnie Weasley. His face was red with anger, and he stood up defiantly in front of the teacher and the class.

"Lizzie's a girl, and my best friend, and you better leave her alone," he declared fiercely.

The teacher asserted his authority, and declared that the boy would be kept after class every day that week for his insolence; but Ronnie didn't care. At the end of his first detention he found Lizzie faithfully waiting to walk home with him. Halfway there, Lizzie leaned over and gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek. Ronnie turned the brightest shade of Weasley red; but then he slipped his hand into hers and smiled at her shyly. At that moment both children shared the same thought of what a fine thing it was that each of them had a friend like the other. They were only ten years old, and there was nothing romantic about their feelings. They were still too young for thoughts of romance. But true love starts with absolute trust, and that was something that the two children already shared.

When Luna Potter found out about the incident at school she baked Ronnie three dozen Chocolate Snorkacks, and mother and daughter delivered them the same night. The next day the teacher was out sick, and he remained out of class for the next two weeks. The rumor going around town was that he had a strange blue rash all over his body, and had developed an unnatural desire for a baby's pacifier. At the end of two weeks it was announced that he was leaving the teaching profession for health reasons. The funny part of it was that when the children told their mothers about it, neither Luna nor Hermione seemed at all surprised.

o

Still, in spite of occasional bumps, Lizzie's life in Ottery St. Catchpole was rather idyllic; especially compared with the rather lonely childhoods that her parents had experienced. Harry and Luna, like all parents, wanted their children to have a happy and carefree childhood. Lizzie had grown up in a friendly old house, in the middle of an ancient forest, just east of Ottery St. Catchpole. From the day of her birth she was surrounded by a protective web of uncles, aunts and family friends that had helped introduce her to the magical world at a very early age. It didn't matter that most of these people had no blood connection to the young girl, she still thought of them as family nonetheless.

In fact, in the short space of Lizzie Potter's life, Ottery St. Catchpole had become the center of a growing colony of magical folk. The Weasley and Lovegood families had lived there for generations; but in the last dozen years several other magical families had moved into the neighborhood. Neville and Ginny Longbottom had moved into a new home between the Weasley and Lovegood properties. Within a year, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks had also married and moved to the area. Fred and George Weasley also became neighbors, shortly after their girlfriends succeeded in dragging them to the altar.

This extended family provided a very warm and nurturing environment which resulted in children who were happy, well adjusted and possessed by an adventurous nature common to those raised is a rural environment. As a result, the children were always involved in one adventure or another; which bred a degree of independence from their parents but a certain healthy dependence upon each other.

Lizzie, like her Mother, made it a common practice to go for midnight walks in her woods, knowing full well that there was nothing there that would hurt her. Many were the nights that Ronnie Weasley would be woken from a sound sleep by the sound of pebbles thrown against his bedroom windows. It was always Lizzie Potter, who on one of her nocturnal meanderings had discovered some wonder that her friend needed to see right away.

From anyone else, such a disturbance would bring on an explosion of the famed Weasley temper; but never with Lizzie. The boy would put his cloths on, grumbling a bit, and he would go out to meet his friend. Like as not the two children would be out exploring until after sunrise, when they would turn up at one house or the other famished and ready for breakfast. Their parents simply accepted it as one of the consequences of raising adventurous children.

o

Molly Weasley so missed the sounds of children's laughter that she actively solicited the parents to leave their children while they were at work. She soon took on the role of grandmother to all of the children of this rather unique colony; a role in which she thrived.

But it would be wrong to assume that Lizzie grew up in an isolated environment; because hardly a summer went by that Harry and Luna didn't take their children out on expedition in search of rare and unique animals. Ronnie Weasley was always an invited guest on these expeditions; because the two children were always happiest together. In the process of these expeditions, the children visited most of the countries of Europe, and had the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of different peoples. They never regarded it as an educational experience, but their parents certainly did.

And on those rare occasions when Molly Weasley was unable to sit with the children, their parents took them to Hogwarts for the day, thus giving them a glimpse of their futures. These were days that the children took particular delight in, because they inevitably ended with their favorite uncle, Hagrid. He had the most wonderful creatures for his classes and all the children took the greatest delight in learning about them; especially Ronnie and Lizzie. For some strange reason, that the two young children simply couldn't understand, many of his regular students seemed actually afraid of the wondrous animals.

The proudest moment in Ronnie and Lizzie's young lives came during one of his classes when they were ten years old. As Hagrid always did, he allowed the younger children to watch as he taught his class; even though they received some curious looks from the older students. This morning the class was for third-year students, and Hagrid led them away from his hut and down to a small paddock on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There stood several of the most bizarre and frightening creatures that most of the students had ever seen. They had the bodies of horses, but the wings and heads of giant eagles; and their powerful beaks and talons was enough to unnerve the most confident of students. Their gleaming coats changed smoothly from hair to feathers; and their brilliant orange eyes gave them a truly savage appearance.

"Now, can any of yeh tell me what these are?' Hagrid asked.

But the rest of the class was too petrified to hazard an answer, and merely took the opportunity to back further away from the powerful creatures.

When none of the regular students dared to answer, Ronnie and Lizzie very timidly raised their hands.

With a wide smile on his face, the half-giant pointed to the young girl sitting behind the rest of the class. "Yeh, Lizzie. Do yah know what they are?"

"They're Hippogriffs, Sir." The young girl responded. Lizzie thought she should call Hagrid 'Sir' rather than uncle since he was teaching his class, and she wanted to be respectful.

"Tha's it, Hippogriffs!" Hagrid declared happily. "Beau'iful aren' they?"

The rest of the class didn't seem to share their teacher's assessment of the fearsome creatures, and continued to back away from the paddock. Their "Uncle Hagrid" had introduced Ronnie and Lizzie to the marvelous creatures the previous summer, and they were both fascinated by them. Seeing the rest of his class on the verge of flight, Hagrid suddenly got an idea.

"Can any of yeh tell me anything abou' them?" He asked, and it was clear that he was directing his questions at the two youngsters.

"They're very proud and you need to be respectful with them," Ronnie answered knowingly.

"And you have to bow when you first meet them," Lizzie added.

"Yeh're both right," Hagrid announced proudly. "Would yeh two like ter take ah ride?"

In spite of the collective gasp from the rest of the class, Ronnie and Lizzie squealed with delight. They both walked through the gate and up to the Hagrid. Next to the half-giant the two young children looked small indeed, and the rest of the class didn't give much for their chances with such a fearsome beast.

"Righ' then. Ah put yeh two up on Buckbeak. E's an old friend of yeh Dad, and I reckon he would let yeh ride im."

The two children walked slowly up to a Hippogriff with slightly graying feathers. The two bowed formally from the waist, and the old Hippogriff nodded his head regally in return.

"Well done, children, very well done." Hagrid said happily. "Now yeh can pat im."

Ronnie and Lizzie lost no time in patting and stroking the great beast, and he seemed to actually like it. The rest of the class hardly noticed it, but they had all began to move closer to watch this strangest of sights. All of them wondered who these strange children were, and they were all amazed that they showed no fear of the large animal.

"Now I reckon e'd let yeh have a ride," Hagrid declared, and lifted the two delighted children up on the Hippogriff's back. Ronnie was in front, and Lizzie was holding on behind him.

"On then!" Hagrid shouted, and the great wings began to flap and the creature soared up into the air. Hagrid had quietly put a securing charm on the children before they took off, just to be safe. Buckbeak flew up above the tree-tops and out over the lake. The Hippogriff skimmed low over the water, and Ronnie and Lizzie extended their arms out to feel the pure exhilaration of flight. When they returned after their all too brief ride, they were both out of breath but terribly happy. It the most exciting thing that either of them had ever experienced and they wished it had lasted longer.

The rest of the class, embarrassed by what two ten-year-olds had done, began to step forward one by one to inspect the Hippogriff more closely. None of the others dared ride him, but some of the braver children did pat him. As they all walked up to the castle for lunch, one of the third- year Gryffindor boys walked over to them, and shyly made a suggestion.

"Why don't you eat lunch with us; next year you two are certain to go to Gryffindor House?" They did as the boy suggested, and both had a wonderful lunch as the story of the incident swept around the Great Hall.

Ronnie's Mother, Hermione Weasley, said nothing about the incident; but her son could tell that she wanted to say that it was too dangerous. She held her tongue however, because the stories of her adventures with Harry Potter had become Hogwarts legend. Harry and Luna, on the other hand, were delighted that their daughter had such a wonderful opportunity at such an early age, and was brave enough to take it. They knew that Hagrid could be trusted to look after their child.

Of course, the children already knew quite a bit of magic. Several years before, Albus Dumbledore had advised their parents that wizarding law permitted a child to obtain a first wand at nine years of age under the condition that it was only used with adult supervision. All four children had been taken to the shop of old Mr. Ollivander on their ninth birthday, and received their first wand. Their parents had immediately started their instruction in the use of the wands, and by the time they received their Hogwarts letters they were quite adept at simple spells.

o

That evening, after an exciting day of play in the forest, Lizzie sat happily on her bed at home. Her room was done in wonderfully clashing shades of bright orange and purple, but she loved it. On the foot of her bed lay a large grey wolf, watching his mistress with intelligent eyes. His name was Piowacket, but Lizzie simply called him Pie. He had been born in the same year as she, and the two had been together ever since. Her mother Luna had been raised with the wolf's mother, Grimmy; so it seemed almost predestined that the young girl would have also have a wolf as a pet. When Lizzie was only a baby, Grimmy had brought her latest litter of pups to visit Harry and Luna. One particularly precocious pup had wandered away from the others and had gone exploring. Discovering that one of her children was missing, the mother wolf began a systematic search of the house, assisted by Harry and Luna. They found the pup snuggled close to their infant daughter, both sound asleep; and from that moment onwards the two were inseparable.

The little girl knew that she would miss her faithful friend; but her Father had told her that a dorm room was just not a suitable place for a large wolf, and that her roommates would simply not understand. Strangely enough it was not Piowacket, but the quiet evenings at home that the little girl thought that she would miss the most. With Grimmy and Pie curled up on the floor before the blazing fire, her Father helping her little brother learn his first spells, and Lizzie herself sharing the large chair with her Mum as she graded that day's rune assignments.

That was how Lizzie had learned about runes: watching her Mother correct student papers and asking about the strangely hypnotic symbols. Luna would patiently explain the meaning of each symbol to her little girl, and show her how to read them. Soon Lizzie came to love the mysterious runic symbols as much as her Mother did, and eagerly looked forward to the treasure maps which Luna would prepare.

Sometimes Ronnie would come over to spend the night, and the two children would play Exploding Snap or Wizard Chess in front of the fire. Like as not they would fall asleep there, dreaming of the magical world of which they were a part, and then wake up the next morning to the smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen. It was a happy and secure life, with no room for regrets or apprehensions. And so when the time finally came for Lizzie to go off to school, it was with a light heart and eager anticipation.

o

The Saturday before school was to start Lizzie was up with the sun. She dressed hurriedly and rushed downstairs to the kitchen where her parents were already busy preparing breakfast. Luna was cooking bacon at the stove while Harry stood at the kitchen table mixing batter for Blueberry waffles; which happened to be Lizzie's favorite. This was a familiar sight to the child, because Harry and Luna loved cooking together, and had since they were teenagers. In fact, the two enjoyed doing everything together. Even after a dozen years of marriage they were still best friends and still acted like newlyweds. But today would be special. Today was the day they were all going to Diagon Alley to buy Lizzie's school supplies; and the little girl could barely contain herself.

Harry looked over at his daughter and gave her a sly wink, and then he quietly walked up behind Luna and kissed her on the back of the neck. She laughed like a schoolgirl, and spinning about, threw both of her arms around him. If this was what marriage would be like, then Lizzie couldn't wait to grow up.

"Good morning, Pumpkin. Are you all ready for today?" Harry asked her affectionately as he kissed her good morning before returned to his work.

"Oh yes, Daddy. When are we going?" She answered excitedly.

"Well not before you eat a good breakfast; it's going to be a long day," Luna said, and sat a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her daughter.

"Yes, Mum," the little girl replied happily, and quietly slipped a piece of bacon under the table to Pie. Luna Potter saw what her daughter was doing, and smiled to herself. It had only been a few years before when she herself had done exactly the same thing with her own pet wolf. She caught her husband's eye, and saw that he was smiling as well. Both parents were very proud of the independent little girl that they had created.

At that moment their nine-year-old son Jamie came bouncing down the stairs and plopped down into his place by his sister. "Morning Daddy, morning Mum," he said happily. The little boy was as excited about the day to come as his sister was, but for a different reason. While his parents and sister were going to Diagon Alley, he was going to spend the day at The Burrow with his best friend, little Molly Weasley.

Lizzie had asked her Father if they could fly their brooms to The Burrow; the floo network would have been faster, but not nearly as much fun as flying with her parents. Harry knew that it was important to the young girl, and as it would probably be her last chance to fly with her family before school started, so he willingly agreed. Her little brother Jamie had just soloed on his own broom a few weeks before, and he was also delighted with the prospect. So were Harry and Luna, for that matter, because it was the first opportunity for the whole family to go flying together.

Lizzie took off first, riding the new Firebolt that she had received for her birthday. She loved the fast acceleration of her new broom as well as its excellent maneuverability; both were so much better than her old broom. Harry followed; riding the Firebolt Plus that Luna had given him for a Christmas present the first year that they were married. There were better and faster brooms available now, but none would ever mean as much as this gift from his wife. Luna and Jamie took off last. The little boy loved flying, but was still a little unsteady on his broom; and so his Mother stayed close. The forest was still shrouded in morning mist as the four rose into the air and flew east in the direction of the rising sun. Harry had put on a concealment charm so any early-rising muggles wouldn't be shocked. The Ministry of Magic had only recently released data showing that most muggle reports of flying saucers was really magical folk flying without concealment charms; and it would never do for the Headmaster of Hogwarts to encourage this behavior.

After dropping Jamie off at The Burrow, the Potters and Weasleys used the floo network to reach Diagon Alley. Both children loved traveling by floo, and they stepped out of the fire at the Leaky Cauldron with the grace born of a lifetime of such travel. But even after so many years of such travel, Harry Potter still stumbled once and a while. Waiting for them were Neville and Ginny Longbottom and their two daughters. After nodding to Tom, the ancient barman, they stepped out the back door and entered into the wonders of Diagon Alley.

The hustle and bustle of the alley was always greatest in late summer, as parents brought their children in to be fitted out for the new term at Hogwarts; and this year was no exception. The merchants, realizing that here was a market ready to be tapped, filled their display windows with things that would appeal to children and teens. The Pretty Witch and The Fashion Wizard had displays of the new fall line for the fashion conscious witch and wizard. Quality Quidditch Supplies had the latest racing broom on display, as well as the Quidditch uniforms for all four houses of Hogwarts School. It was all just a little overwhelming for children who had been raised in the country, and their eyes were as large as Galleons as they ran from one window to the next.

Harry and Luna watched their daughter running down the alley, amused by her enthusiasm and remembering the day, not so very long ago, when they themselves had first visited this wondrous place. Glancing over at his friends, Harry saw that they wore the same sentimental smile as he and Luna had, as they watched their own children take this very important first step towards adulthood.

The first stop was The Cauldron Shoppe, where Ronnie and his cousins would buy their first cauldrons. Lizzie Potter loved portion making as much as her grandmother did, and had received her first pewter cauldron when she was ten.

"Can I get one of these self-stirring cauldrons?" Young Ronnie Weasley asked hopefully, and pointed at a bright display model that was busy stirring itself. From the cauldron rose a green-smoke message that declared that it was guaranteed to make mistake-free potions for ninety-days.

"What does your list say? His mother asked patiently.

"It says 'one standard number two sized pewter cauldron.'" The boy answered with an air of resignation.

"That's right. And that is exactly what Professor Snape will expect you to have. You don't want to get off on the wrong foot with Professor Snape." Hermione Weasley warned her son. "Besides, those self-stirring cauldrons are for people in the business of potion making."

The young boy picked out one of the pewter cauldrons from the stack by the door, and paid the sales witch three galleons from his money bag. While he and his cousins were making their purchases, Lizzie was looking at the gold and silver cauldrons in the display behind the counter, and questioning her Mother on what kinds of potions they were used for. Luna explained that silver cauldrons were used in the preparation of advanced protective potions and the gold cauldrons were used for specialized healing potions.

From The Cauldron Shoppe, the group proceeded on to Florish and Botts, and began the process of book selection from the lists that they had received a few days before. Hermione had advised that they get their books in June, so that the four children could study all summer, but the other adults quickly vetoed the idea. Harry could see that his old friend looked rather nostalgic, as she ran her fingers over the fine leather bindings.

"Bring back pleasant memories?" he asked softly, placing a gentle hand on her arm.

She turned and gave him a dreamy smile, "Yes, the best memories of my life."

And he understood exactly what she meant, remembering his first visit to the overcrowded book shop. But her dreamy mood didn't stop Hermione from selecting at least a dozen extra books that her son and his friends would really benefit from reading. Both children enjoyed reading, but also wanted time for fun at Hogwarts; and Hermione Weasley was known to go a little overboard on the subject of study.

Both Ronnie and Lizzie gave their Fathers pleading glances, and with their help they were able to reduce Hermione's extra reading list to just six books. But then Ron and Harry slipped one additional book into their stack. Looking at the cover they were delighted to find that the title was _"The Rules and Tactics of Quidditch."_

Ron Sr. winked at his son and whispered. "You have to have a little fun."

"Ron, I heard that," Hermione declared, a warning tone to her voice.

After they had finished their school shopping, Ronnie and Lizzie were given the surprise that their parents had promised them. Their parents took them to Eeylops Owl Emporium where they were each allowed to pick out an owl of their very own. Lizzie selected a Snow Owl that looked very much like Hedwig, who was now becoming rather old; while Ronnie selected a rather intelligent looking Grey Owl.

As she looked through her textbooks that evening before bed, Lizzie was certain that her favorite class was going to be Transfiguration. Her Mother had already shown her some basic Transfiguration spells, and she wasn't bad at it. She was already able to transform a match into a needle, and she had almost mastered changing a leaf into a feather; but she longed to learn the more complex transformation spells described in her textbook.

As she went to sleep later that night, Lizzie thought about how much fun it was going to be to go to school at Hogwarts and learn magic. Little did she know that there was also adventure, and even deadly danger, awaiting her.

o

Many changes had taken place at Hogwarts since Harry and Luna had been students. Albus Dumbledore had retired to private life immediately after his two favorite students had graduated; citing a desire to pursue his own researches into forgotten areas of ancient magic. He had moved to his family's estate in northern England, where he lived a peaceful and contemplative retirement with his books and his memories. Three years after his retirement the old headmaster married Grizel Dane, who he had met one hundred and fifty years before, when he had been a student at Hogwarts himself. But he maintained strong contacts with his two favorite students, and when their daughter was born he willingly assumed the role of a second grandfather. It was a role that suited him well, and he took great delight in his visits with Lizzie and later her brother.

Professor McGonagall's tenure as headmistress began with a surprise, when she named Harry Potter as the new deputy headmaster. The move surprised everyone, including Harry himself, because the young man had only just begun his career as a teacher. But professors Dumbledore and McGonagall had discussed the matter thoroughly, and no one dared challenge their combined judgment. It didn't take long for Harry to vindicate their decision. His boundless energy and innovative teaching style made him an immediate success. He continued to live with Luna at "The Meadows," because being close to his family was the most important thing in his life, but each day he would floo to Hogwarts to carry out his responsibilities as instructor for Defense Against the Dark Arts and deputy headmaster.

Six years after assuming the post, Professor McGonagall announced her own retirement. She and Edward Lovegood had become very close, and had decided to marry. Luna Lovegood Potter was delighted with their decision, seeing the two as being a perfect match. The old headmistress had eagerly assumed the role of "grandmother" to Harry and Luna's children from the day they were born.

Suddenly twenty-four year old Harry Potter found himself thrust into the role of Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While the wizarding community of Britain seemed willing to accept the change, Harry himself had some real doubts. But Dumbledore and McGonagall, and his wife Luna, convinced him that he was ready for the new responsibilities. Harry almost immediately put his own unique stamp on the school, and the Board of Governors, encouraged by Albus Dumbledore, gave him their full support.

One of his very first actions was to rescind the rule that prohibited first year students from having their own brooms. Flying was such an important part of Harry's life, and so much a part of the magical life, that he felt it should be encouraged as much as possible. Junior Quidditch teams were created so that everyone would have the opportunity to play, not just the elite few of a given House. And all students, first-years included, were encouraged to come to try-outs if they had the desire to play.

In classroom instruction he encouraged new ideas and innovation, and was open to any new ideas that would stimulate the student's interest in learning. And in spite of the warnings of a few doubters, student test results began to climb dramatically. By the time Lizzie Potter came to Hogwarts, her Father was already being compared favorably to the great Albus Dumbledore as an educator.


	2. Chapter 2

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

T – English – Romance/Adventure

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes: **My very special thanks to my friend Heather (_John Adams) _for all her help and encouragement in beta reading my story and keeping me on character. Someday I hope to be as good a writer as she is.

**CHAPTER 2: A TRIP ON THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS**

Two weeks before the start of the fall term at Hogwarts School, a new resident moved to the small village of Hogsmead. The strange woman arrived in August with the deed to the Shrieking Shack, and immediately set about making the old house habitable. There was something about her aristocratic bearing and haughty manner that contrasted markedly with the simple, rustic life of the small village.

Nevertheless, several of the local residents attempted to welcome her; motivated both by curiosity and by genuine good will. But these friendly gestures were curtly rebuffed; and the rest of the townsfolk quickly learned to steer clear the unsociable woman. It was evident that she wished to be left strictly alone; a wish that the residents of the small community were more than willing to grant.

Narcissa Malfoy hadn't come to that remote corner of Scotland looking to gain a place in their rustic society. Let the peasants keep their distance and she would gladly keep hers. She wanted neither the society nor the solicitude of such a boorish, uncultured society.

The woman who had taken up residence in the dilapidated house had straight black hair and dark eyes, which represented a dramatic change from the blond hair and blue eyes with which she had been born. But she couldn't risk the possibility that an old acquaintance might possibly recognize her, even after so many years. Too much effort had been expended to bring her plans this far forward to risk them now. In addition to the strange, dark woman, the villagers also noticed two other women who accompanied her. The residents assumed that they were servants of some kind, because they took on a distinctly submissive posture in the presence of their mistress.

After a few weeks the strange woman, and her strange ways, had become more or less accepted by the town. They were no longer the prime topic of gossip at the Three Broomsticks and other taverns about town. Hogwarts would soon start its fall term, and the townspeople eagerly looked forward to the return of the students and to the economic stimulus that they would bring to the village. Also, since Harry Potter had become Headmaster, the villagers had been invited to attend the school's Quidditch matches; and some of the residents had become rabid fans of the various houses.

o

As the date for their departure to school grew near, the wizarding children of Ottery St. Catchpole grew more and more excited, eagerly anticipating the great adventure upon which they would soon embark. But for their parents it was a bitter-sweet time. They were proud that their children were ready to take this first great step towards adulthood, but they would miss coming home to their smiling faces each day. For Ginny Longbottom it was the hardest; she was a stay-at-home mother and would terribly miss her two young daughters. Her consolation, however, lay in a new baby boy which had been born the previous spring.

The morning that the Hogwarts Express was to leave dawned bright and sunny, and all three families gathered together at The Burrow for a farewell breakfast. Molly Weasley had truly outdone herself, and the table groaned under the weight of food spread upon it; but the children's surrogate grandmother spent most of the morning in tears. She said that it was like she was loosing her own children all over again. Ron and Hermione lightened the situation considerably by reminding the sweet old lady that the younger children would still be at home for her to "grandmother," and that the three families would gather at The Burrow for Christmas as was their usual custom.

Once breakfast was over the whole extended family, together with Uncle George, Fred and Remus, and their Aunt Tonks, left for King's Cross Station and the Hogwarts Express. There was far too much joy and laughter for Molly Weasley to remain unhappy long; especially after Harry and Luna announced that they would be expecting their third child in the spring. Lizzie, who already knew about their "spring surprise," was eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new brother or sister.

As their parents led them onto Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station, the four children let out a collective gasp of amazement as they beheld the magnificent red steam locomotive. Harry and Luna looked at each other and smiled, for they well remembered having the same reaction the first time they had seen the Hogwarts Express. The children had seen muggle trains in the past, and Ronnie and Lizzie had actually ridden one on a summer expedition to Sweden, but it was nothing like this. The bright red steam engine was clearly special, and would take them to a place of magic and wonder.

Their parents had advised them that they would most likely find a compartment to themselves if they looked towards the rear of the train. After saying a brief goodbye to their family, for they would see all of them again at the Sorting Feast that evening, the four children boarded the train and began making their way to the rear. The train was already crowded with older students getting reacquainted after the long summer, and younger students searching for a place to sit, or just trying to stay out of the way. The noise was almost overwhelming as hundreds of children called out to old friends, or attempted to renew old acquaintances. Finally the four children found an empty compartment and started to get settled. Lizzie plopped down next to the window, and waved at her parents, who were waving back from the platform. Ronnie sat down next to her, and the Longbottom twins sat opposite. Their parents had often spoken nostalgically about their own trips to and from school, and now the youngsters wanted to experience that same feeling.

Shortly afterwards they felt a sudden jerk, and the train began to slowly move out of the station. It was at that moment that three older boys appeared at the door, and boldly walked into the compartment. They appeared to be third-years at least, and looked tough and surly as they glared around the compartment. The apparent leader, as boy with a thin face and straight black hair, sneered at the youngsters in a menacing way.

"Alright midgets, this is our compartment. Get out and find someplace else." He said, jerking his thumb towards the door.

Ronnie's face turned a bright shade of red, as his anger rose. He didn't like being called a midget, and promptly responded on behalf of the little group. "These compartments belong to whoever takes them first. This is ours and we're staying," he said defiantly.

The dark haired boy gave Ronnie an evil look and then turned to face his friends. "This 'carrot' needs to be taught some manners, but I think we can handle him."

"You show him, Victor." Encouraged a second boy, rubbing his hands together in a rather menacing way.

Turning back to the young boy, the bully took a threatening step forward and reached into the pocket of his trousers. "Look 'Carrot,' this is your last chance. You're all alone and there are three of us. Now get out!"

It was at that moment that Lizzie chose to speak up for the first time, and as she spoke her hand tightened around the wand she had lying in her lap. "Ronnie's not quite alone; actually there are four of us. I think its you who should look for another place," she said sweetly.

It was only at that moment that the boys noticed that all three girls now had their wands drawn and were aimed in their direction. Nonetheless, the apparent leader threw his head back and laughed harshly. "Oh, I'm just so frightened. What are you going to do, curse me? First years don't even know which end of a wand to use. But I'm sure that we can teach you a lesson or two."

But as the three boys started to draw their wands the girls all fired off their spells. Lizzie hit the leader with a sneezing spell, and he began to sneeze uncontrollably. Heather and Holly hit the other two boys with their Mother's Bat-Bogey Hex, with devastating effects. Ronnie finished the leader off when he shouted "Petrificus Totalus!" The boy's arms snapped to his sides, he went rigid as a board, and he fell backwards onto his friends. Grabbing the arms of their leader, the other boys retreated out of the compartment, into the aisle, and away out of sight. It was a clean victory, and all four children felt rather satisfied.

"You know, if we keep going like this, we're going to get a reputation as bad as our parents," Heather said with a wide grin.

"And that would be bad why?" Lizzie asked innocently, and cocked her head to one side. After they all had a good laugh the four settled down to a game of Exploding Snap, as they watched the countryside rush by.

A few minutes later a young boy with curly black hair came to the door of their compartment, but remained outside in the aisle. He was dressed in jeans and a green tee shirt with the emblem of the Irish National Quidditch Team, and like them he appeared to be about eleven years old.

"Can I join you?" The boy asked somewhat uncertainly, with an accent that was obviously Irish. "The rest of the train is full."

"Sure," Lizzie said with a warm smile. The new boy flashed them a grateful grin as he entered the compartment and sat on the seat with Heather and Holly. As the two girls scooted over they couldn't help but notice that the young boy was rather handsome, with a tanned face and an easy smile.

"My name's Sean…Sean Finnegan," He said with a grin.

Ronnie reached a hand across to the new boy, who took it without hesitation. "I'm Ron…Ron Weasley. And this is my friend Lizzie Potter." He said, introducing the smiling, silver-eyed girl who sat by his side. "And these are my cousins, Heather and Holly Longbottom.

"I'm Heather." Declared the pretty red-haired girl sitting next to the Sean, and cast him a shy smile as she spoke. She was determined that this handsome boy would know who was who right from the very start.

"Weasley?" the boy asked in surprise. "Your Father isn't the Ron Weasley that plays Keeper for the Chudley Cannons?"

"Yes, he is." Ronnie answered modestly.

"I've been a fan of his for years. I think he's the best keeper playing the game today." The boy declared excitedly. "You're planning to play Quidditch, aren't you?"

"We all want to play." Ronnie answered for all present.

"What position do you play?" Lizzie asked.

"Well my favorite position is Seeker. My Mum played that position for Ravenclaw, and I'm hoping to play it as well. But I can also play Chaser."

"Those are my two positions as well," Lizzie declared with some surprise.

"You said your name was Potter? You're not related to Harry Potter are you?" Sean asked.

Now it was Lizzie's turn to be modest, as she nodded her head slightly. "He's my Dad," she almost whispered.

It rather surprised Ronnie that Lizzie had spoken to the new boy so readily, because she hardly ever spoke to anyone outside of her circle of trusted friends. But he had to admit that there was something about their new acquaintance that seemed to inspire trust; perhaps it was his easy manner or the honesty in his voice that seemed to be a part of his character. Ronnie had never even noticed the silence that had settled over the compartment, as each child was drawn into their own thoughts. But then Heather, determined to give the conversation a helping hand, asked a neutral question. "Do you think you'll be sorted into Ravenclaw House?"

The boy gave Heather a warm smile of thanks for breaking the ice, and readily took up the new subject.

"Well Mum was a Ravenclaw and Dad was a Gryffindor, so I suppose I could go either way. I'm not much on studying, so I think it will be Gryffindor."

"Well Lizzie likes to study, but the Sorting Hat had better put her into Gryffindor…or else." Ronnie declared with determination. Sean gave the red-haired boy a strange look, thinking that it was little strange that his new acquaintance was so adamant that his blond-haired friend must be sorted into Gryffindor House; most boys Ronnie's age didn't have much use for girls, and certainly wouldn't admit it if they did.

Heather must have noticed the strange way Sean was looking at her cousin, and tried to clarify the situation. "They're best friends. The two of them spend more time together than they do with their own families." That statement made both Ronnie and Lizzie blush a bit, but they nevertheless knew that it was true.

In the strange silence that followed, Sean Finnegan took a moment to more closely observe the other occupants in the compartment. Ronnie Weasley was already quite tall, with bright red hair and chocolate colored eyes. He had the tanned appearance of someone who had spent much of his time out of doors, and in spite of his thin frame he was well muscled for an eleven-year old. The girl who sat close by his side also showed the healthy appearance of one who spent most of her time under the sun. She was almost a head shorter than Ronnie, with long dirty-blond hair and bright silver-gray eyes. Sean wouldn't exactly call her pretty, but she had a ready smile and friendly manner that immediately put him at his ease. He had never had a girl as a friend before, but he somehow sensed that Lizzie Potter would be someone that a boy could always depend on. The other two girls were identical twins, with bright red hair and warm blue eyes; and Sean thought that both of them were very pretty. Like Ron and Lizzie, they were friendly and very outgoing. If all of the students were like these four, Sean Finnegan thought he would be very happy at Hogwarts.

Sensing a slight discomfort in the compartment, Ronnie quickly suggested resuming the game of Exploding Snap, and they all jumped at the chance. The rest of the trip passed quickly and pleasantly, and by the time they got off at the Hogsmead Station all five of them were good friends.

o

Upon their arrival at the station, Sean Finnegan had somehow become separated from his new friends. Things at the station were in the wild state of chaos that always signaled the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. Nevertheless, his friends had told him that their "Uncle," a half-giant named Hagrid, would be there to meet all the first-years. He was looking out over the confused platform and saw Lizzie and Ronnie a few meters away; as did two other boys who were standing near him.

"She's the one; she's the freak that started the whole thing!" One boy shouted, pointing at the girl with the long blond hair that Sean knew as Lizzie Potter.

Suddenly he took a great interest in the two boys, and their conversation. The boy that spoke had straight black hair and wore a Ravenclaw crest on his robes.

"Don't worry, Victor. We'll take care of that one." A second boy replied.

The Irish are a race not known for their mild tempers, and Sean Finnegan was certainly not one to break with that tradition. As he listened to the two boys talk about his new friend, he felt his Irish temper rising. He quietly withdrew the wand from his robes, and as he waved it at the boys he mumbled a few barely discernable words. It was certainly not the most powerful of spells, but it was the first one that all Irish witches and wizards are taught; especially those going to school in England. Satisfied that he had cast the spell correctly he slipped the wand back inside his robes and went to join his new friends. He knew he wouldn't have long to wait for results.

A few minutes later, as the two Ravenclaw boys entered the Great Hall, the rest of the students began to laugh. The two were completely mystified until they looked at each other and realized that they both now had emerald green hair.

As the two boys rushed up to the hospital wing they swore black oaths of what they would do when they found the person responsible. As it turned out they had quite some time in planning their revenge, as Madam Pomfrey informed them that there was no counter charm to that particular spell, and that it could not be covered with any kind of muggle dye. In the two weeks it took the spell to wear off they were exposed to more than a few humiliating remarks, but they never did find the prankster responsible.

When all returning students were seated, and Professor Potter had greeted them with warm words of welcome, a group of very frightened "first-years" were led into the hall under the direction of Deputy Headmistress Hermione Weasley. As usual, the children's older siblings had filled their minds with stories about impossible challenges, such as wrestling Mountain Trolls; and most of them appeared truly fearful. Four of them, however, looked supremely untroubled. Lizzie and her friends knew all about the Sorting Hat; and their only concern was that all four of them should be sorted into Gryffindor House.

At the high table sat Headmaster Harry Potter, his wife Luna by his side. They both watched the ceremony proceed with the greatest of pride, seeing their daughter take this most important step. Neither of them had any doubt in the world that Lizzie would go to Gryffindor; she was too courageous and daring to be sorted anywhere else.

As Professor Weasley read off their names, the young children stepped forward to be sorted into their houses. When she read the name of her son, Ron Weasley Jr., Harry noticed a particular note of pride in his old friend's voice. The young boy walked confidently up to the stool and allowed the Sorting Hat to be placed on his head. In his head he suddenly heard a voice speaking to him.

"It's been many years since I've sorted a Weasley. There's only one place to put you." And then aloud the hat shouted "Gryffindor!" Suddenly the rafters exploded in a burst of scarlet and gold fireworks. Harry looked down to the end of the faculty table, where Fred and George Weasley sat as specially invited guests, and grinned widely. The two pranksters looked back innocently, but it was clearly their handiwork. Hermione just shook her head, 'Would they never grow up?' Well, she certainly hoped not. Ronnie's face had turned bright red at the display and hurried down to join his new housemates.

Then, with a slight smile, Professor Weasley called out "Elizabeth Potter." A buzz swept around the room as the young girl walked up the aisle towards the sorting stool. The little girl didn't look like much to the other students, but the daughter of Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood would certainly bear watching. Luna reached below the table and took her husband's hand as they watched their daughter take her seat on the stool. Harry's mind drifted back to his own sorting and how apprehensive he was; but Lizzie showed no trace of fear.

The hat was lowered over her head, and a hush fell over the room. Everyone waited, and waited, but nothing happened. Some in the room were beginning to mumble with concern, but Ronnie wasn't worried. He knew his friend too well; she was probably just having a nice little chat with the hat. And as a matter of fact, that is just exactly what was happening. The Hogwart's Sorting Hat had not had such a pleasant conversation with a student since it had sorted Lizzie's mother so many years before. Finally, in a loud clear voice, the Sorting Hat called out "Gryffindor!" Lizzie hopped off the stool and ran to sit next to her friend, barely aware of the scarlet and gold fireworks that again erupted in the rafters.

"What took so long?" Ronnie asked casually.

"It decided right away that I should go to Gryffindor. But it seemed like such a nice hat that I wanted to talk awhile. It's so rare that you get a chance to talk to hats, and it does have a very important job."

A third-year girl sitting nearby gave Lizzie a strange look, but the odd statement didn't bother Ronnie in the least. He was quite used to the unique way his friend thought, and rather liked it. Things were never boring with Lizzie around.

After the sorting was complete, Harry rose to make the standard start of term announcements. These including the expanded list of forbidden items posted in Mr. Filches' office; most of which attested to the continuing success of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. He also noted, rather half heartedly, that the Forbidden Forest was still, in fact, forbidden to all students. Then Harry turned to introduce the beautiful young woman who was sitting on his left side. "Students, this is Madam Finnegan. She will be assisting Professor Snape in teaching Potions this year." The aging potions instructor, who Lizzie and Ronnie and seen on previous visits to the school, did not look terribly pleased at the announcement.

Then Lizzie suddenly remembered that their new friend was also named Finnegan, that he had also been sorted into Gryffindor House, and that he now sat on the other side of Ronnie. Lizzie leaned across and asked the question that was on Ronnie's mind as well. "Is Madam Finnegan any relation?"

The boy looked a bit embarrassed as he mumbled back that she was his Mother. Lizzie whispered back that it was nice to know that other students had parents who were teachers as well.

o

As the children of teachers, Lizzie and her friends had a good idea of what "first-years" could expect from Hogwarts. As they reviewed their class schedule at breakfast the next morning, they knew they would soon be facing their first real challenge. Their first class of the day was Double Potions with Professor Severus Snape. This was a mixed class with members of Ravenclaw House. Their parents had already told them that for Professor Snape's class they needed to be prepared and on time; and even that might not save them from loosing a few house points. Nevertheless, Lizzie was really looking forward to Potions Class. Like all of the women in her family, dating back to her great grandmother, she had a natural gift for the subtle science of potion making.

Lizzie and Ronnie were both in their seats and ready when Professor Snape swept in, his black robes billowing out behind him. Lizzie was unable to suppress a small giggle at the sight. Her Father had already told her that billowing black robes was a Snape trademark, and was intended to instill fear in his students. Her Father always joked with her Mum that Professor Snape really should get it patented. Walking behind Professor Snape was a young woman with long black hair and dark eyes that Lizzie recognized as Sean's Mother, Madam Finnegan.

Professor Snape had not changed a great deal since Lizzie's parents had been students at Hogwarts. His long black hair still had a greasy, matted appearance, and he still had the ability to notice the slightest infraction of discipline that occurred in his classroom. It should be no surprise then that he immediately took notice of the blond-haired girl who had giggled, and was now smiling at him warmly. The aging Potions Master immediately realized who the child was, and that she sat next to a red-haired boy who must be a "Weasley."

'She has all of the impertinence of her Father,' the Potions Master thought in disgust. Well he hadn't accepted such behavior from the father, and he was not about to accept it from the daughter. This girl needed to learn that this was his classroom, no matter who her Father was, and she was expected to be behaved and attentive.

Professor Snape began his class with a slight variant of a traditional speech that he gave to all classes of first-year students. "Potion making is one of the most exacting of all the magical sciences, and as such I don't expect many of you to excel at the art. But for those with the unique aptitude, I can teach you much. But weather you are among the gifted few, or the inept majority, I will expect you all to pay absolute attention in my class. I can assure you that no one in this class will receive special treatment on the basis of family connections." He was looking directly at Lizzie and Ronnie as he spoke the last few words.

When absolute silence followed his little speech he continued. "I trust that all of you have studied your textbooks over the summer?" The silence in the room was deafening. "Well, we shall see."

"Potter!" Snape said suddenly. "What are the uses of Puffer-fish eyes?"

The class was completely silent, every student present thankful that the Potions Master hadn't called on them. There was a quite unreadable expression on Lizzie Potter's face, and then she promptly answered. "They are used in the Swelling Solution, Sir."

Snape was somewhat taken aback by her sudden and correct answer, but he persisted nonetheless. A slight smile curved his lips as he asked a second question that only a second-year student should know. "And what is the correct color and consistency for the Bruise-Healing Potion?"

Lizzie knew that this information was not in her textbook, but her Mother had shown her this particular medical potion just the previous summer. "It should be a thick, bright yellow paste, Sir."

Snape was clearly even more annoyed, because once again Lizzie was correct in her answer. "It appears that you are slightly better prepared than your Father was in his first year," he said grudgingly. "Nevertheless, ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek earlier. Such behavior will not be tolerated Miss Potter."

Lizzie felt Ronnie stiffen next to her, and she placed her hand on his arm to calm him. They both knew that the Professor Snape was always eager to take points from Gryffindor House, and both children were on their best behavior.

"This is Madam Finnegan," Snape said, waving a hand casually towards the young woman standing to his right. "She will be teaching the first three grades of Potion Making this year so that I can concentrate on teaching the more advanced students. My time is valuable, and not to be wasted on such basic material as you will learn this year."

Hearing the sigh of relief coming from some of the students in the room, Professor Snape continued a bit more tersely. "Nonetheless, I am still responsible for your training, and I will follow the progress of each and every one of you closely. I will take a particular interest in any disciplinary problems." Once again he looked directly at Lizzie and Ronnie, as they both tried to look as attentive as possible. "I will now allow Madam Finnegan to take over the class." And with that he swept out of the room, his robes billowing out behind him.

Madam Finnegan watched him go with a slight smile. "Good morning, children." She said cheerfully. "There's one thing that I've always said about Professor Snape, he does know how to make an impression." Her remark elicited a slight giggle from some of the students, and the tension was broken.

"By the way Miss Potter, your answer on the Bruise-Healing Potion was quite correct. All of you will be studying that particular potion next year. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Lizzie Potter was quite certain that she was going to like Madam Finnegan.

o

After an excellent lunch, where the students excitedly discussed their first classes of the day, Lizzie and Ronnie walked out through the great oak doors and down the grassy slope to their first class of the afternoon. They were somewhat apprehensive at the prospect of this class, not because the material would be difficult, but because they would be attending with students older than themselves. Their first class of the afternoon was Ancient Runes, taught by Lizzie's Mother. Whenever the weather was warm and clear, in the autumn and late spring, Luna would conduct her class in an outdoor classroom that she had fashioned near the shore of the Black Lake. The children loved it, as they loved everything about Madam Luna's unique teaching style.

Before Luna had taken over Ancient Runes, it had been one of the least popular classes at Hogwarts; frequented only by Ravenclaw students and a smattering of others. But since Luna Lovegood Potter had taken over, Ancient Runes had become one of the most popular subjects. That was not terribly surprising; her informal teaching style, casual manner and boundless enthusiasm always made her classes fun and exciting. It was little wonder then, that upon reaching the informal classroom under the trees, Ronnie and Lizzie found the small grove crowded with other children.

"Excuse me, but you know this is a second-year class, don't you?" asked a freckled Hufflepuff girl in a friendly manner.

"It's alright," Lizzie answered reassuringly, "we're supposed to be here."

And indeed they were supposed to be there. Luna had introduced her daughter to runes at a very early age, and Ronnie had been exposed to them because he was always around Lizzie. The two had spent many happy summer days following runic treasure maps through the family's woods near Ottery St. Catchpole. Luna had made the maps to keep the children entertained and to teach them at the same time; and she had succeeded on both counts. The children were rewarded as well, as each puzzle led them to a picnic lunch, a stash of chocolate, or some other special treasure.

By the time they reached school ancient runes was almost like a second language to the two, so there was no way they could be placed in a first-year runes class; it would simply offer no challenge. But that was a problem. Academically, they would probably best fit in a fifth- or even sixth-year class. But that too was out of the question; it simply wouldn't be a good idea to place such young children into a class with students who were so much older than they. The problem was solved by allowing the children to challenge first-year runes and move directly into the second-year class, where they would be given a special curriculum that reflected their special needs.

At that moment, from out over the Black Lake, two figures could be seen flying towards the shore. One of them, who could clearly be recognized as Harry Potter, suddenly curved off to the right, in the direction of Hogwarts Castle. The second figure flew down low above the water, and came in for a graceful landing in front of the class. Some of the students might have been surprised by this form of entrance, but Lizzie Potter certainly wasn't. She knew that her Father and Mother loved to go flying together, and would never miss an opportunity to do so.

"I'm sorry class," Luna began, slightly out of breath. "But the air currents are absolutely wonderful today, and we lost tract of the time." Lizzie smiled at her Mother's last words; she knew that when her parents were off together flying the world just seemed to stop for them.

"Would you all please be seated?" she asked, before noticing that there was no place to sit. "I'm sorry," she said, and then she waved her wand in the direction of her students. From the grass-covered ground arose several neat rows of giant mushrooms to the correct height for seats, and then slightly higher mushrooms for use as desks. Luna much preferred the soft mushrooms to the hard wooden seats of the indoor classrooms; and in fact she had suggested to her husband that they be used inside as well. While Harry was more than willing to allow his wife to use them for her own classroom, he felt it unfair to impose the idea on the rest of the teaching staff. Nevertheless, Neville Longbottom immediately adopted the idea for Herbology, and Professors Hermione Weasley and Remus Lupin adopted variants of the idea for their own classrooms. While the students loved the soft, squishy mushrooms, Professor Snape expressed his total revulsion to the whole idea.

Luna then waved her wand a second time and a tall, thin mushroom arose is front of the students; this one to serve as a podium. As she walked up to it she looked behind her and frowned slightly, and all her students wondered why.

"You know," she said seriously. "No matter how hard I try I just can't get my robes to billow. I guess I'll have to ask Professor Snape to give me some pointers." The students, who knew Professor Snape's mannerisms all too well, burst into laughter.

Several members of the class had already noticed the two first-year students sitting in their midst, and had wondered about it. Luna decided that it was best to end the mystery early, and chose that moment to introduce them.

"I see that some of you have noticed that we have two new students in our class this year. This is Lizzie Potter and Ron Weasley," she said indicating the two, and winking at Ronnie. "They are in this class because an independent examiner has judged their knowledge of ancient runes too advanced for the first-year class."

Of course, Luna didn't mention exactly how much they did know about the subject. If the rest of the class knew that the two young children could read second-year runes as well as they could read English, they would badger them continuously for help. She knew that the two children would offer help when needed, but would not be taken advantage of.

Then Luna began to pass out a sheet of runes to each member of the class. "I know that those of you who were with me last year are familiar with our little game, but for the sake of our newcomers I want to go over the rules. Each month we will have a new treasure hunt, and each week I will distribute a set of runic clues to help you find it. This year we will be trying something new, and we will be working in teams of two; so each of you should select a partner."

Lizzie and Ronnie grinned at each other, for working together on the same team suited them perfectly. What Madam Luna didn't mention was that she had given her daughter a runic treasure map written at a sixth-year level; that was the only way that the contest could possibly be fair to the other students.

At first it was strange being in a class with older children, but the two soon adjusted. Their friendly and outgoing natures quickly won them the friendship of several older students, who greeted them warmly whenever they met in the hallways. There were distinct advantages to these friendships. Lizzie and Ronnie willingly offered to help their friends with their rune assignments, and in exchange their friends helped them with the challenges of Charms and Transfiguration.

o

The two children discovered Hogwart's immense library almost immediately, and took almost as much pleasure in discovering its treasures as Hermione Grainger had almost two decades before. One evening in their second week of school, the two were in the library researching a paper for Potions. The essay was the first assigned by Madam Finnigan, and was on the various uses of the Belladonna plant. It had to be at least two feet long and was due in a week.

At a corner table they noticed a young girl wearing Slytherin robes; she was sitting alone and looked rather forlorn. Lizzie immediately recognized her from their second-year runes class. She always seemed to be rather lonely, and didn't appear to have any friends. Lizzie had never spoken to her before, but now she nudged Ronnie in the side and nodded in the direction of the older girl. Ronnie shrugged his shoulders and nodded, and collecting their books, the two "first-years" walked over.

"May we join you?" Lizzie asked very tentatively.

The girl looked up with a slightly surprised expression, as if astonished that anyone would ask such a thing; but then she nodded her head slightly. Ronnie and Lizzie sat together on the other side of the table, and began to spread out their books and scrolls. Lizzie noticed that the girl was keeping her eyes lowered, but she didn't appear to be studying; and the younger girl decided that if anyone was going to break the ice it was going to have to be her.

"My name is Lizzie…Lizzie Potter, and this is my friend Ronnie…err, Ron Weasley," she said with a smile. Lizzie knew that it was alright that she called her friend Ronnie, but he really wanted the rest of the school to call him Ron, so she was trying to help.

"Um…I'm Grace Whitechapel," the girl said, looking rather embarrassed.

"Grace is a very pretty name, but I don't believe I've ever heard of anyone named Whitechapel. Where is your family from?" Lizzie said, trying to keep the conversation going.

The girl suddenly looked even sadder, but seemed resigned to the fact that this was a question she was always going to be asked. "When I was a baby, I was found on the steps of Lady of Grace Church, in the Whitechapel area of London, so that was the name they gave me at the orphanage. I don't really have a home; during the summer I have to go back to the orphanage."

Now Lizzie felt especially bad and hastily attempted to change the subject. "What's that you're working on?"

The girl quickly lowered her eyes again, as if she had been caught breaking the rules. "Um…I'm working on runes. I have to translate this," she mumbled, lightly touching a sheet of parchment that lay on the table. "I think it's a First Century Celtic ceremonial text."

The uncertainly in the girl's voice was clear, and Lizzie noticed that she had written very little translation. "Would you like a little help?" she said softly.

The girl nodded slightly, but didn't raise her eyes. Ronnie and Lizzie got up from their seats and moved around the table to sit on either side of her. Her assignment was indeed First Century Celtic, and with their help she was able to make quick work of it. Then, in turn, Grace helped Ronnie and Lizzie with their Potions assignment; Potions turned out to be her best subject. After the work was finished the three of them relaxed and began to talk in a more casual manner, and by the end of the night considered themselves friends. That night's homework went so successfully that the three children soon became regular study partners.

Over the days that followed Lizzie and Ronnie learned more about their new friend, and realized how lucky they had been to grow up in loving families. Grace had grown up in an orphanage in southern England, and still had to return there during the holidays; she hadn't even known about her magical background until her Hogwarts letter came. The only thing that the child had from her past life was a small bronze charm, which she wore around her neck. The child had the faintest memory of her Mother placing it there, and telling her to never take it off; and she never did. Apparently she had led a particularly lonely childhood, and both younger children now resolved that that part of her life would now be over. Grace confessed to the two that she had never really fit in with the muggle children at the orphanage, nor with the magical children at Hogwarts for that matter. The Sorting Hat had placed her in Slytherin House, but she hadn't a clue as to why. Most Slytherins seemed confident, ambitious and rather assertive; she on the other hand was shy and quite insecure.

It didn't take long for the shy Slytherin girl to start joining the young Gryffindors for their morning and evening meals, and then to become a regular member of their group. One of the first major changes that Harry had instituted as Headmaster was to do away with House Tables for all meals except the Sorting Feast. He had always felt that the idea of house tables only served to draw students apart, rather than to bring them together. Instead, smaller tables for six- or eight people were provided, and students were encouraged to eat and socialize with those from other houses.


	3. Chapter 3

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

PG – English – Romance/Adventure

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes: **My very special thanks to my friend Heather (_John Adams) _for all her help and encouragement in beta reading my story and keeping me on character. Someday I hope to be her equal as a writer.

**CHAPTER 3: A UNICORN IN CLASS**

It didn't take long for Ronnie and Lizzie to get into their first spot of trouble at school. Late one evening, long after curfew, the two children were caught by Mr. Filch sneaking back to the Gryffindor Tower. They had been out walking on the shore of the Black Lake and along the edges of the Forbidden forest. Ronnie had heard that the Merpeople basked along the shore on moonlit nights, and Lizzie wanted to see the elusive Moon Lilies that her Mother had told her about. But luck was not with them on that particular night, and they failed to find the objects of their quest.

It was close to midnight when the two neared the concealed entrance to the Gryffindor common room. The Fat Lady was sleeping peacefully in her frame, snoring lightly; and both children were feeling rather guilty about having to wake her. Suddenly they heard the cry of the ancient cat known as Mrs. Norris, and they knew that the Hogwarts caretaker Mr. Filch couldn't be far away.

"What is it, my darling?" They heard a voice inquire softly. "Students out of bounds?" And with that Mr. Filch rounded the corner and confronted them, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Ah, vandals…your names? Right now!" And then in typical Filch fashion he proceeded to declare that the incident would probably lead to the children's immediately expulsion, and that they were undoubtedly about to commit some act of vandalism. Without even giving them a chance to say a word in their own defense, he took down their names and ordered them back to their dormitories.

Neither of the children slept much that night, dreading about what their parents would say in the morning. They didn't want to be expelled; but they knew their parents couldn't ignore the incident or give them any kind of special treatment.

"What happens after you get expelled?" Lizzie asked, as they sat at the breakfast table the next morning.

"I don't know. If they won't let you go to school I guess you have to get a job." Ronnie said a little uncertainly. But then he noticed the sad expression on his friend's face, and realized that he needed to bolster her spirits. "Maybe we could deliver newspapers on our brooms; that would be fun. Don't worry, Lizzie, we'll find something." He said in a reassuring tone.

Lizzie felt just the slightest bit better at his suggestion, and she gave her friend a weak smile. She was bound to like any job where she could ride her broom. Still, she was going to miss school, and her friends; but it comforted her to know that Ronnie would be with her. "I'm not worried, things will be okay." She said, trying to be reassuring.

At that moment, Professor Weasley walked up to the table. She looked down icily at the two miscreants. "You are both to report to the Headmaster's office after your last class today." Without another word she turned and walked away.

Ronnie and Lizzie exchanged worried glances; they had only been at school for two weeks and they were already facing expulsion. The day dragged by like it would never end, but they finally stood before the gargoyle that guarded the door to the Headmaster's office. The last time Lizzie had visited her Daddy in his office it was as his darling daughter, but now she felt like a criminal facing punishment.

It was at that moment that they realized they didn't know the password to gain entrance. The feeling of relief they felt was all too brief, for the gargoyle suddenly shifted to one side to reveal the moved staircase. Exchanging looks of sad resignation, the two children mounted the first step and were whisked upwards. Stepping off at the landing they faced a stern looking Professor Weasley, who without a word gestured for them to enter the office.

Mr. Filch was standing beside the door as they entered the room, a crooked smile of triumph on his face. Headmaster Harry Potter sat behind his desk, wearing a sober and unreadable expression. Without a word he motioned to two empty, straight-backed chairs that stood before his desk. At first Lizzie and Ronnie were rather worried; that is until they noticed the twinkle in his eyes and the slight smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"Well, let's hear the details, young lady." He said in a serious tone, addressing his daughter.

Both children loved games, and it was clear to both the attitude that they were expected to take at that moment. They hung their heads in shame, and at the appropriate moment Lizzie sniffed softly, like she was on the verge of tears. Mr. Filch looked on smugly, certain that the two were destined for the most severe of punishments.

"I…I wanted to see if the Moon Lilies were in bloom," Lizzie responded, a strategically placed tremble in her voice. As she spoke she glanced up a bit, and saw that her Father's smile had grown ever so slightly.

Not for a second was Ronnie willing to let Lizzie take the blame, and choose that moment to speak up: "It wasn't Lizzie's fault, I asked her to go. I wanted to see the Merpeople that live in the lake. I heard that they come out of the water and lay on the rocks when the moon is full.

"Shocking, absolutely shocking!" Mr. Filch declared.

Harry held up his hand for quiet, and continued his questioning. "And did you see them?" He asked in a gentle voice.

"No," they both answered sadly.

Harry couldn't help but smile slightly at that moment, as he remembered the moonlit night so many years before when he and Luna had gone down to the lake to visit with the Merpeople. He still remembered how disappointed Luna was when the strange water creatures couldn't understand her version of the Mermish language. Harry also remembered that the elusive Moon Lilies only showed their beautiful silver blooms to people deeply in love; and Ronnie and Lizzie were still far too young for that. But he also believed that one day they too would see the mysterious flowers together, and that thought warmed his heart.

But now he was faced with the problem of how to enforce discipline on an infraction that he and Luna themselves enjoyed; and that was a most difficult question for both Harry Potter the teacher and Harry Potter the parent. And then suddenly he had an idea.

"What you did was very wrong, children." He said seriously. "We set up these rules for your protection, and you must follow them. The Forbidden Forest is not like your forest at home, Lizzie. There are real dangers here, dangers that you are not yet ready to face."

The two children saw that Harry was speaking seriously and sincerely, and both were now sincerely sorry for their actions. The two mumbled a hasty apology.

"Could you say that again, I'm afraid I didn't quite hear it?" Hermione asked, speaking for the first time.

"We're sorry. We won't go into the forest at night anymore." Lizzie said clearly.

"No, I don't think you will," Harry said with a smile. "But a detention is still warranted under the circumstances. I want both of you to report to Professor Hagrid on Saturday morning after breakfast."

"Yes Sir," they both responded respectfully, uncertain about exactly what a detention entailed. Both Professor Weasley and Mr. Filch seemed satisfied with the discipline administered, and the matter was concluded.

Both parents noted how carefully Lizzie had worded her apology, and they both understood exactly what she meant. Trying to keep Lizzie from her midnight walks would be a nearly impossible undertaking; for like her Mother, she loved the moonlight. But they knew that she would adhere to the letter of her promise: she would stay out of the forest at night

-o-

Lizzie awoke the next morning just at dawn, the first pink rays of the rising sun flooding in through her east-facing windows. Her roommates were all in their beds, curtains drawn, and fast asleep. But Lizzie was an early riser, and today she was rewarded for it. At the foot of her bed she discovered two very precious items. The first was a large cloth bundle that looked very much like a Christmas present, except that it was the middle part of September. With trembling fingers the little girl untied the wide ribbon which held the bundle closed, and was surprised to see that it contained a shimmering, silver-grey garment. Lizzie immediately recognized it as her Father's invisibility cloak, which she had often seen at home. She picked up the piece of parchment which lay on the floor beside the cloak. It read: "This cloak came from my Father to me, and now it goes to you. Use it well." She was absolutely delighted with the gift, and hugged it to her chest.

The second gift pleased her just as much, and was no less rare. It was a crystal vase which contained two extraordinarily beautiful silver lilies which appeared to have been picked just the previous night. Lizzie immediately knew that the Moon Lilies were a gift from her Mum; but she wondered why she and Ronnie had been unable to find them. She would have to ask her Mum about that.

Lizzie dressed hurriedly, and taking both the lilies and invisibility cloak, she quietly left her sleeping roommates to wait for Ronnie in the common room. She waited and waited, but he simply didn't come down; of course the fact that it was only six o'clock on a Saturday morning might have had something to do with it. But the young girl was simply too excited to think logically; and so she carefully ventured up the stone steps that led to the boys dormitories. She moved along with extreme care, concerned about the rules she was probably breaking; but too excited to care. On the first landing was an oak door bearing a sign which read "First Year Boys," and she knew that she had reached her goal.

She knocked lightly on the heavy door, and waited patiently for a response. When none came she knocked again, louder this time, but there was still no response. Timidly she turned the handle and pushed the heavy door open just a crack, peering into the dark interior. She was immediately greeted by the sound of heavy breathing, and an occasional snore. It was clear that all of the boys were still fast asleep. A less bold child might have stopped right there, closed the door; and retreated to the safety of the common room to wait for her friend. But Lizzie had never been, nor would ever be, timid. She pushed the door open further, and in the dim half-light she could just make out five four-poster beds.

"Ronnie," she called out in a rather hoarse whisper. When there was no response, she summoned up her courage and called again, louder this time. "Ronnie!"

She heard groaning coming from some of the beds and then heard someone harshly shout, "Go away! No girls allowed."

At the same moment a response came from another bed. "Sod off, Malcolm!' And a second later she heard the same voice call, "Just a minute, Lizzie." A dark form stumbled towards the door, and taking her by the hand led her out into the hallway, closing the door behind them. Ronnie was dressed in blue flannel pajamas, and his red hair was a mad tangle sticking out in all directions. With his eyes still half-closed with sleep he mumbled out, "Morning, Lizzie. Why so bloody early?"

"I've got something to show you," she said excitedly. "Put your cloths on and come down to the common room." With that she turned and started down the stone steps, but immediately noticed that her friend was stumbling after her. "No!" she said more forcefully, "Put your cloths on first." In a stupor the read-headed boy turned around and stumbled back to his room.

A few minutes later Ronnie appeared in the common room, fully dressed and more awake. "You do know that it's Saturday, don't you?" He asked, with a note of sarcasm clearly evident in his voice. But when she showed him the invisibility cloak and the silver lilies the sarcasm was immediately gone, to be replaced with excitement equal to hers. Both children tried on the invisibility cloak and excitedly discussed ways they might employ their new treasure. The two had just received a detention, but that didn't stop them from considering all the fun they could have with the wonderful cloak. As they walked down for an early breakfast all thought of sleep was gone.

"Why do you think your Father gave it to you?" Ronnie asked in amazement.

"Well I imagine that he doesn't want Mr. Filch to catch us again," Lizzie answered with a giggle. Both children had heard the stories of their parent's adventures with the famous invisibility cloak, and now they were anticipating some adventures of their own.

-o-

Later that same day, the cloak now safely hidden at the bottom of Lizzie's trunk, Mr. Filch led the two children down to Hagrid's stone hut to face their first detention. They seemed unusually happy, in spite of the old caretakers best efforts to scare them; and that fact seemed to annoy him no end. As they approached the two children noticed their favorite "uncle" sitting in front of his hut sharpening a heavy ax on a grinding stone. They had visited the hut often in the past, but this was the first time they had visited as students facing punishment.

"These two miscreants are here for detention, Hagrid," Filch said in a nasty voice. "Find something particularly unpleasant to teach them the error of being out after curfew."

"Yah, I gots somethin' for em," he replied gruffly, and then he winked one of his beetle-black eyes at the children. With that he led two rather relieved children into his hut for tea and some of his indigestible Rock Cakes, before he introduced the children to the rather unique form of punishment he had planned for them.

Over the next two weeks Ronnie and Lizzie received two more detentions, both for rather obvious infractions. On both occasions Hagrid requested that the miscreants be assigned to him for punishment, and on both occasions Harry had granted his request. Hermione Weasley was becoming rather suspicious. She was certain that the two children had deliberately provoked the second detention, of running down the halls directly in front of Professor Snape; but she wasn't sure why. It was clear that her son and his friend simply didn't see a detention with Hagrid as a punishment, but instead regarded it as a special treat.

"How are we ever going to maintain discipline in the school if you reward them for breaking the rules?" Hermione asked Harry with concern. "Our own children have received three detentions in two weeks."

"You're quite right, Hermione," Harry responded contritely. "I think we should go right down to Hagrid's hut and see how our misguided children are being disciplined."

Hermione looked at Harry suspiciously; this kind of humility just didn't seem like him, and she wondered about his motives. Nevertheless, she followed him out of his office and down the stairs towards the front doors. On the way they passed Luna talking to a group of third-year students.

"Excuse me girls," Harry said, interrupting their conversation, "but might I have a word with Madam Potter?" Such formality from their anything but formal headmaster made the girls break into a fit of giggles as they continued on their way to the library.

"Yes, Professor Potter?" Luna responded, adopting the same formal tone with the man who was both her husband and her best friend.

Hermione just rolled her eyes as the two of them played like they were children again. "Could you possibly join us for a moment, we have a discipline problem that we need to attend to?"

"Anyone we know?" Luna asked, a wide grin appearing on her face.

"All too well," Harry responded, smiling back at his wife.

"Honestly, can't you two take anything seriously?" Hermione exclaimed in frustration.

"Apparently not," Harry replied, and putting his arm around Luna's waist, he led them out of the castle and down the slope towards Hagrid's hut. He guided the two women behind the hut and along a narrow trail that led a short distance into the forest, ending at a small, roughly built corral. There they found their two children, bottle-feeding an orphaned baby Unicorn that Hagrid had found in the Forbidden Forest. As they looked down at their happy children the three adults couldn't help but smile.

"Now tell me, Hermione. Wouldn't you be willing to break a few rules for this kind of punishment?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"You set this all up on purpose, didn't you?" She asked coyly.

Harry put on the most innocent face possible; a look that he had never been able to pull off with either Hermione or Luna. "I really don't know what you mean," he said with mock sincerity.

Hermione sighed, seeing the wide grins that her friends were exchanging; but then she looked back with pleasure at her happy son. "Well, I still don't approve of them getting deliberate detentions," she declared with a sigh of defeat.

It was at that moment that Hagrid walked over from the hut. "'iya 'arry, 'ermione, Luna." And then looking down at the two youngsters as they walked towards the fence he continued, "Ah ain' never see the like of it, these two jus' gots ah natural gift wit' animals."

Suddenly Harry had had a brilliant idea. "Hagrid, weren't you trying to find a student to help you out with the animals last year?"

"Yah, bu' none of 'em was interested," he said in a somewhat disappointed tone. "Ah even offered extra credi', bu' couldn' get nobody. Feared they were, ah guess."

Both Luna and Hermione immediately knew the track that Harry's mind was following, and he could see how the eyes of both children were shining, as they waited for a chance to volunteer. "Of course, any student that took over such an important job would have to be very responsible, and would have to keep out of trouble."

"And would have to keep their school work kept up," Hermione hastily added.

"Oh of course, that goes without saying," Luna declared.

"Can we do it, please," both children asked pleadingly.

"Well I don't know, are you going to get anymore detentions? And are you going to keep your school work caught up?"

"We won't get in any more trouble," Lizzie promised faithfully. And Ronnie hastily added that they would keep all their school work caught up.

"Well then, it looks like you have two new assistants, Hagrid."

"What can we do first?" both children eagerly asked.

"Righ' now this 'ere baby needs feedin' four times a day. Tha'll be yer firs' job. An' nex' week Ah gots some really interestin' animals comin' in."

Hermione visibly winced at Hagrid's statement, but said nothing; the two youngsters, on the other hand, couldn't have been more excited.

But in spite of their promise, the lure of the moonlight proved almost irresistible to the two children. Within two weeks they had resumed their midnight excursions; but they managed to stay clear of the Forbidden Forest and were careful to wear the invisibility cloak so they wouldn't be caught. It wasn't that the two were being deliberately disobedient; it was just that eleven-year-old children have very short memories, and adventure is always calling.

The word soon spread around the school that Lizzie Potter and Ronnie Weasley were the new student assistants to Hagrid; but there was not one bit of envy among the other students. Most of them were absolutely terrified by the fierce beasts that the half-giant incorporated into his lessons. As a result, most of them thought that the two young first-years were either very brave or very crazy. Either way, older students now looked at the two children with a new degree of respect, and school bullies kept their distance.

-o-

But not all of their fellow students thought they were crazy, Sean Finnegan thought his new friends were rather brilliant, his only regret was that he hadn't been asked along on their midnight excursion. But when a week later they offered to take him down to meet their friend Hagrid, the young Irish boy jumped at the chance. After the last class of the day the three young Gryffindors left the castle and started down the grassy slope towards the Groundskeeper's hut. It was already late in the afternoon and the sun was just to edge towards the tree tops of the Forbidden Forest; but it was also feeding time for their baby unicorn, which the children had named Pixie.

As the three children walked along the path that led to Hagrid's hut, Ronnie and Lizzie saw their friend Grace Whitechapel huddled under a tree crying. They also saw the three Ravenclaw boys that they remembered from the train. They were standing over the girl and teasing her unmercifully. Other students nearby pretended not to see what was going on, and obviously didn't want to get involved. Ronnie and Lizzie immediately pulled their wands and broke into a run; and seeing this Sean Finnegan did the same.

"Leave her alone!" Ronnie shouted, aiming his wand at the face of one of the boys. Lizzie and Sean quickly covered the other two.

The three bullies hesitated a moment, a look of fear crossing their faces. They had faced these first-years before, and come off the losers for it; and they had no wish for another encounter. They had no problem bullying weaker children, but these three Gryffindor were clearly not weaker.

"What do you care?" asked the leader, trying to put up a bold front. "She's just a crybaby, and besides she's in Slytherin. What business is it of yours?"

"She's our friend," Lizzie declared, taking a large step forward.

"And we're making it our business," Ronnie declared with equal force.

For the first time the tearful young girl looked up at her diminutive rescuers; and was surprised by the looks of determination on the faces. She saw something else as well, the look of fear on the faces of her tormentors, as they backed away.

"Are you alright?" Lizzie asked as she laid a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm alright, but you really shouldn't have helped. They won't forget it. They're the meanest boys in school, and they are third-years." The girl said, concerned that her friends may have placed themselves in a bad position because of her.

"Don't worry about them; I think we can handle those boys." Ronnie said with confidence, casting Lizzie a significant glance. Both youngsters noticed that the three boys had moved only a short distance away, and were watching the four friends intently.

"Maybe you should come with us," Lizzie suggested. "We're going down to see Professor Hagrid. Maybe we can have a cup of tea."

"Yah, but stay away from his Rock Cakes," Ronnie added with a grin. "They're made with real rocks."

"You're going to see Professor Hagrid?" the girl asked in shock.

"Sure. He's our uncle…well sort of." Ronnie declared.

"I don't know," the girl said doubtfully. "He's so big and scary."

The two children looked at each other in disbelief. They had known their 'Uncle Hagrid' all of their lives; they wondered how anyone could possibly think him scary.

"Well he's really very nice. You'll like him, I promise." Lizzie declared. "This is out friend Sean; he's coming to meet Hagrid for the first time too."

The young Irish boy was usually bold and outgoing, but he blushed just a bit as he was introduced to the pretty Slytherin girl; who for her part blushed slightly as well. But soon all four of them had resumed their walk down to the Groundskeeper's hut.

From a distance they saw Hagrid working in the pumpkin patch that was laid out next to his small stone hut. He stopped work for a moment and pulled out a large, purple Pokka-dot handkerchief which he used to wipe his brow, then returned it to his pocket and resumed his work. It was at that moment that he saw the children, and lying down the heavy hoe, went over to greet them.

" 'ello there Lizzie. 'ello Ron. Who er yer friends?" He said, indicating the two other children, who were hanging back a bit.

"This is Grace and Sean, Hagrid," Ronnie said, making the introductions. "We wanted them to help us feed Pixie."

"Its nice ter meet yeh," the Groundskeeper said with a broad smile. "Well the little fella's waitin' for yeh, 'ungry as the dickens."

Hagrid went into his hut and seconds later emerged with two baby bottles with what appeared to be milk. "This should fix 'im up." He said with a grin, and handed over the bottles.

Lizzie then led the way as they followed a trail that led out behind Hagrid's hut and into the Forbidden Forest. Grace had heard that terrible creatures inhabited the forest and hesitated at the edge of the trees.

"We're going in there?" she asked, a note of fear evident in her voice.

"It's alright," Ronnie said reassuringly, and took her hand.

The narrow trail led for a hundred meters or so, until they came to a small, green meadow. A portion of it had been fenced off by a roughly constructed paddock made of fallen branches and old timbers. Suddenly all four heard a high-pitched whiney, and when they opened the gate a snow-white unicorn colt ran up to greet them. He nuzzled Lizzie and Ronnie affectionately, looking for his bottle, but seemed a little shy with Grace and Sean.

"This is 'Pixie.' Lizzie said, as the colt stuck his muzzle under her sweater in search of his dinner. "You can see that he's hungry," she giggled as the colt became more persistent in its search. Grace took the cue and offered the hungry unicorn the bottle. Suddenly, all his shyness disappeared and Pixie lunged forward, much to Grace's delight.

"Professor Hagrid found him in the forest, and he's only about four-weeks old. He's an orphan, so we have to bottle-feed him." Ronnie continued, as Pixie changed from Grace's now empty bottle to Sean's full one.

The children stayed with Pixie as long as they could, and only reluctantly started back when it began to grow dark. Gone were their fears of the Forbidden Forest, as all they could talk about was how sweet Pixie was. When they reached Hagrid's hut, the half-giant suggested that he could certainly use some additional help with some of the tamer animals, and his two new friends quickly volunteered. That night at dinner the children could speak of little else than the baby unicorn, and what a wonderful afternoon they had enjoyed. Heather and Holly, who had also helped out with the colt, joined in to make it a very lively table. When Ronnie and Lizzie told about their first ride on a Hippogriff, at the age of ten, the level of excitement rose even higher. It sounded a bit dangerous, but Grace and Sean had quite lost their fears, and now very much wanted to try themselves.

-o-

A few days later Luna's second-year runes class was meeting under the trees by the lake. It was a beautiful late fall day, with a very light breeze coming off the lake and just the slightest hint of winter in the air. But the young children wouldn't be able to enjoy the perfect flying weather until after class; for Madam Potter had assigned a quiz on the basic Viking runes that they had been learning. Ronnie and Lizzie, being too advanced for such simple material, had been assigned a much more challenging quiz on Germanic runes of the sixth-year level. Grace Whitechapel was rather surprised by how easily the quiz answers seemed to come to her, the result no doubt of her study sessions with the two young first-years who sat by her side. Just a few weeks before she would have been hopelessly lost, and just guessing at the answers.

At that moment gasps and laughter broke out among the students sitting in the back row, and all the other children turned to see. A snowy white Unicorn colt was walking up the aisle between the mushroom desks, completely unafraid of the assembled children. Seeing Ronnie and Lizzie the colt gave a joyful whinny, and trotted forward to join them; lying down by their side. The class immediately descended into complete chaos, and Luna could only look on with a wide smile.

"Well, I guess we can forget about our runes quiz for today," she said in good humor. "It appears that someone left the gate opened, and our Runes class has suddenly become Care of Magical Creatures. Would you children care to bring your friend up here and introduce him to the rest of the class?" She said, addressing Ronnie, Lizzie and Grace.

The three children stood and led the young Unicorn up to the front of the class, as a hush of awe fell over the rest of the students.

"This is 'Pixie,' and he's just four-weeks old. He's an orphan that Professor Hagrid found in the forest and brought home. We're helping him take care of Pixie so that when he's a little older he can return to join the other Unicorns in the forest." Lizzie said.

"I think we'll end class a little early today, and if you're gentle you can all meet Pixie before he returns to his paddock," Luna said with a smile.

-o-

The second-year Runes class came immediately before the time set aside for lunch; and so shortly after class adjourned, and after their classmates had the chance to meet Pixie, the three youngsters set out to return the colt to Hagrid. As they led the young unicorn towards Hagrid's hut they were joined by a grinning Sean Finnegan, who had just finished Herbology with Professor Longbottom. He silently fell into step next to Grace, and reached a gentle hand to pet the playful unicorn.

"I heard," he said, breaking the comfortable silence. "It's the talk of the school."

As they approached the hut they saw the half-giant just emerging from the forest, a length of rope in his hand and a worried look on his face. But he immediately brightened when he saw the four children leading his "runaway" back to him, and he started over to greet them.

"'Ere yeh 're." He said, giving Pixie a pat. Then turning to the children he looked down at the ground, "It's all me faul'. Ah was in with 'im this mornin' an' I guess I lef' the gate open. 'E must 'ave wandered off. Did 'e ge' into any trouble?"

"No, but I'm not sure Ancient Runes will ever be as much fun without him." Lizzie answered with a giggle.

"Well, put 'im back where 'e belongs an' I'll bring ou' a bottle so yeh can give 'im 'is lunch afore yeh 'ave yer own."

None of them could possibly realize that in a very short while their very lives would hinge on the affection and courage of the small unicorn. An ancient evil would soon be released at Hogwarts; and Lizzie and Ronnie would find themselves at the very center of the storm.


	4. Chapter 4

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

PG – English – Romance/Adventure

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes: **My very special thanks to my friend Heather (_John Adams) _for all her help and encouragement in beta reading my story and keeping me on character. Someday I hope to be her equal as a writer.

**CHAPTER 4: CRAZY ABOUT QUIDDITCH**

The years that Harry Potter had played Quidditch at Hogwarts had left Gryffindor House with a remarkable record of success; but all such records eventually come to an end. In recent years the Gryffindor Quidditch team had suffered from a general lack of talent and leadership, thus allowing Ravenclaw to take the Quidditch Cup four years in a row. The Gryffindor glory days seemed to be behind them, and no one saw much in the incoming crop of first-year students likely to change the situation. There was one lanky red-haired boy that some thought might make a decent Beater in a few years; on the condition that he bulked up and learned to control his temper. 'No, nothing here to change the fortunes of Gryffindor,' older house members would say sadly. Only a few of the teachers knew better, and they weren't talking.

The team only had two returning members; as three students had graduated and two others simply didn't want to play on a team that seemed destined to always lose. The previous year's crop of applicants was simply abysmal, and this year it seemed at least as bad. A few of the miserable applicants from the previous year had signed up again, plus five tiny first-years students that no one knew much about. It was threatening to be the worst year yet for Gryffindor.

Hermione Weasley stayed completely out of the selection process and allowed the two returning members, now named as joint captains, to make the decision on who would make the team. She was determined that there would be no charges of favoritism lodged later; and felt quite certain that her son and his friends would secure themselves a place on the team on their own playing abilities.

Sign-up sheets were posted and the two captains developed some basic skill tests for the new applicants. The two Beaters believed that the trials would at least show who had the potential for improvement, and secretly they hoped that they might find a future star; Gryffindor could certainly use one.

It was a bright Saturday morning when they all gathered at the Quidditch pitch, brooms in hand. There had been a light rain the previous night, and now the air felt fresh and invigorating; it was perfect flying weather.

The two team captains surveyed the crop of applicants and were none too happy with what they saw. Six of them were older students who loved the game, but had been found wanting when they had applied the previous year. They were here because they wanted to play Quidditch, but they thought they had little chance to win. There were also five very tiny first-years who were standing by themselves off to the side.

'Probably afraid,' one of the captains thought. 'Not really a good characteristic in Quidditch players.' But then he sighed. 'What could he really expect from eleven-year-olds.'

The stands were almost completely empty; and that brought down spirits even more. The other members of their house hadn't even thought enough of the team to come down and give their support. They did see one Slytherin girl, waving a Gryffindor pennant madly; and then Harry and Luna Potter took seats in the faculty box with Professors Weasley, Finnegan and Longbottom.

It was well known that the tiny blond girl was the daughter of the Headmaster and his wife; and that was the only ray of hope the team captains had. If she was anything like her parents she might develop into a good Seeker, perhaps even a great one.

The first try-outs were for the three Chaser positions, and the names of the six applicants were called. The two judges were rather surprised when Sean Finnegan asked if the three first-years might be allowed to try out as a unit. The older applicants had no objections, feeling that it would work to their advantage. All it would take was failure on the part of one of the children and all three would be eliminated.

One of the team captains would play the role of Keeper and the applicants would attempt to get the Quaffle past him. Each group would be allowed two attempts. With false bravado the older applicants offered to let the younger children go first, confident that they would embarrass themselves.

The three started from the far end of the pitch and worked the Quaffle down towards the goal, changing their flying formation several times along the way. It was immediately clear that the three knew how to handle a Quaffle, and the older students began to worry a bit. They came at the goal flying in a loose V-formation, with Sean Finnegan at the upper left carrying the Quaffle. He could either pass the ball to his right, downwards or take the shot himself. The formation had enough razzle-dazzle to impress any judge, and it certainly did. At the last moment he fired the ball down to Heather and she shot through the lower hoop. After another successful run on the goal it became clear to everyone that the Gryffindor team had found their Chasers, and the older students bowed out of the competition.

In a somewhat more optimistic mood the captains announced that they would try out for the Keeper position next. This time the judges took on the role of Chasers, and tried to get the Quaffle past the applicants. They had little trouble scoring on the older students, but the red-headed first year boy it proved to be a very different matter. No matter where they shot he always seemed to intercept them. Gryffindor had their Keeper.

The last position would be the most difficult to fill, that of Seeker. Many people thought it was the most important position on the team, and therefore the most coveted. Tryouts for this position were done with a special training Snitch, the use of which had started in the professional Quidditch leagues and had only recently been introduced at the school level. It behaved in every way like a regular Snitch except that it couldn't disappear. The object of the test was to see how long it would take an applicant to catch it.

The first to try was a fifth-year girl who had been a reserve Seeker the previous year, and was now shooting for the starting position. One of the captains stood at the far end of the pitch with the Snitch and a stopwatch. When the signal was given the Snitch would be released and the clock started. The girl made a fast start, but found she had to slow down to adjust her course twice before catching the winged-ball in the respectable time of 56 seconds.

Lizzie was next to try. The second the Snitch was released it shot straight upwards. Lizzie was in quick pursuit, and using the eye of a born Seeker she subtlety adjusted her course and angle to the movements of her target. It appeared to be almost effortless as she quickly closed the distance to her quarry. Then, extending her arm, she snatched the elusive Snitch out of the sky. On the ground her friends cheered wildly. The time was an outstanding 33 seconds, and the Gryffindor team was now complete.

With the team set it was decided that practices would be conducted in as much secrecy as possible; this was done so the opposition wouldn't realize that Gryffindor was no longer a team without hope. And so as the first game of the season approached the Gryffindor team was an unknown quality, but wasn't to remain so for very long.

The warm days of September gave way to the more crisp weather of October, and all that anyone could talk about was the start of the Quidditch season. The second Saturday of October was to bring the first game, matching a powerful Ravenclaw team against a young and very inexperienced Gryffindor team. The odds were certainly not in favor of the crimson lion on this day.

-o-

Several changes had been made to Hogwarts School since Harry Potter had become headmaster. With the help of his friends he was able to dramatically modernize the curriculum and improve the educational experience, but at the same time he strove to maintain the tradition that was such an important part of a Hogwarts education.

One of his first steps was to open up the school Quidditch matches to the residents of Hogsmead. Most of the residents of that small magical community had themselves attended school at Hogwarts, and they still felt strong loyalties to their former houses. Since the day he had announced the decision the enlarged Quidditch facilities had been crowded with local residents every time there was a match.

This year was no exception, and the stands were packed for the first game of the new season. Even their most ardent supporters gave the underdog Gryffindor team little chance of success this day, but some people hoped that they might be seeing the stars of the future. Over the last four years a powerful Ravenclaw team had dominated the sport at Hogwarts, winning the Quidditch cup easily in each of those years.

Nascissa Malfoy was also interested in Quidditch, but for a very different reason. By taking advantage of Harry's generosity she was able to observe at close hand the three students in which she had a great interest. She joined in with the crowd going to Hogwarts to watch the first match of the season: Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor. She sought a seat in the Slytherin section, which would give her the best opportunity to view the child she most wanted to see.

The players for Gryffindor flew out onto the pitch in a blaze of color, their crimson and gold Quidditch uniforms shining brightly under the warm autumn sun. The announcer read off their names one by one, and noted the positions that they would be playing. The first thing that most of the spectators noticed was how small the Gryffindor players looked in comparison to their larger Ravenclaw counterparts; not a good sign for the crimson lion.

Narcissa Malfoy paid special attention to the names of Elizabeth Potter and Ron Weasley Jr., and used magically enhanced vision to study their faces carefully. 'It won't be hard to remember them when the time comes…,' she thought with a smirk, 'they look just like their parents.'

But even more than those two children, the evil woman sought out another child that should be seated among the Slytherin students that surrounded her. A mother's eye can never be deceived as to the identity of her own child, even such a mother as Narcissa Malfoy; and she soon identified her own daughter. She hadn't seen the girl in almost ten years, ever since she had secretly returned her to England and had placed the toddler in an obscure orphanage. With her long blond hair and bright blue eyes the child stood out clearly to her Mother; and Narcissa was startled to see how much the girl looked like herself at the same age.

But it was not with a mother's love that Narcissa looked upon her child; but rather with the eye of a Death Eater who saw the child as simply an object to help her achieve her objective: a long awaited revenge. And so it was with particular delight that Narcissa noted that the ancient silver medallion was still around her daughter's neck.

But then she saw something that completely disgusted her. The young girl, her daughter, was waving a Gryffindor pennant of crimson and gold. The very thought that the daughter of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy would be cheering for the enemies of her own house was almost unbelievable. The child must be punished, and she must be punished severely for her act of betrayal; but that punishment would have to wait for the completion of the task at hand. Narcissa pacified herself with the comforting thought that she needed only one more ingredient to make her charm work; albeit the most dangerous to obtain.

Her eyes drifted over to the faculty seats, and there she saw those whom she had wanted to destroy for so very long. Harry Potter sat in the center of the stands with his wife Luna by his side, both watching intently for the game to begin. Even after a dozen years of marriage the two acted like teenagers together, and Narcissa saw Harry pull his wife in closer to him and whisper in her ear. 'And why not,' she thought with a bitterness that poisoned her very soul, 'they were watching their first-born play her very first game of Quidditch at Hogwarts.' If they hadn't killed him, her son Draco might very well be watching his own child at that moment. She felt the rage rise in her breast, and she wanted so very much to strike them down at that very second; but then she reminded herself that her original plan was much better.

Sitting on Harry's left side was Albus Dumbledore, who was really beginning to show his advanced age. He had chosen to live in seclusion, and out of the public eye, for the last dozen years. But nothing would stop the old man from seeing his goddaughter's first Quidditch game at Hogwarts.

The old man had always considered young Lizzie Potter as like the granddaughter he had never had; if not a granddaughter by blood, then certainly one in spirit. Every year old Professor Dumbledore looked forward to his visits to "The Meadows," especially those on Lizzie Potter's birthday. Likewise, the little girl loved visiting her "grandfather" at his castle in the north of Scotland to celebrate the latest of his many birthdays. But it wasn't just on those special days that the two would meet, for Albus Dumbledore would pop in almost any night to show the little girl a new spell or share a family dinner.

An evil smile crossed Narcissa's dark face: 'This will absolutely kill the old man,' she thought with glee. For her aim was not merely to destroy Harry Potter, not merely to destroy his family and friends, her aim was nothing less than the destruction of wizarding Britain, taking along as much of the muggle population as possible. That and nothing less could satisfy her thirst for revenge, and she had just the spell to do it. She sat back in her chair to watch the game, confident that her plan could not possibly fail.

-o-

Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle high up into the air, and the game was on. At first it appeared that the game was going as everyone had expected; with the Ravenclaw Chasers scoring two quick goals against the young Gryffindor Keeper. Confidence in the Ravenclaw stands was high, with the expectation of a quick and easy win. But then something happened that no one had expected; the resistance of the young team stiffened, and Ronnie Weasley was able to successfully block the next three Ravenclaw shots on goal. Meanwhile, the Gryffindor Chasers began to turn the tide of the game around. Heather Longbottom, in a daring maneuver that brought gasps from the spectators, came flying up from below and snatched the Quaffle out of the hands of the Ravenclaw captain. She made a high-speed loop over his head, and shot back in the direction of the Ravenclaw goal. Her sister Holly and Sean Finnegan quickly took up flanking positions on either side, and the three began to work their way through the Ravenclaw defenders as they passed the Quaffle between them.

Cheers rang out from the students in the Gryffindor stands, while the Ravenclaw spectators looked on in stunned silence. Heather succeeded in faking out the Ravenclaw Keeper by aiming high, and then at the last possible second shooting through the lower hoop. A few minutes later, using an equally daring maneuver, Sean Finnegan scored a second Gryffindor goal; and the score was tied at twenty. The spectators suddenly realized that they were watching the beginnings of what might become an enormous upset, and the cheering from the stands became almost deafening. Over the next two hours the game swung back and forth in a see-saw battle until the score became 140 for Gryffindor and 120 for Ravenclaw; and all eyes turned to the two Seekers. It had become clear that this game would finally be decided by whichever Seeker was the first to catch the Golden Snitch.

In the skies high above, Lizzie Potter searched for the elusive golden ball. She flew around the parameter of the pitch in a wide circle. Looking across the pitch she saw the Ravenclaw Seeker doing exactly the same thing. The Ravenclaw Seeker was a tough, experienced sixth-year player who had no doubts about his ability against the tiny eleven-year-old girl that flew opposite him; even if her name was Potter.

The two Seekers caught sight of the Snitch at exactly the same moment, as the tiny gold ball floated near the Ravenclaw goal. Both players put their brooms into almost vertical power dives, hurtling toward the earth at a frightening speed as they flew shoulder to shoulder. The Ravenclaw player, determined to use every advantage possible, swung his broom over and gave Lizzie a slight bump. He thought that was all it would take to make the little eleven-year-old loose her concentration and fall behind. But Lizzie was tougher than he thought, and with grim determination she stayed right with him. The next time he tried the tactic Lizzie was ready for him, and when he swung over she dropped below and took the lead. With the Ravenclaw Seeker thrown out of position Lizzie realized that she now had the advantage, and she put on every bit of speed her Firebolt could manage.

Pulling up just above the ground, she skimmed along just above the grass as she rapidly closed the distance between herself and the Snitch. But the elusive winged ball was moving as well, away from the goal and into a position directly in front of the stands. Suddenly both Seekers found themselves out of position, and in real danger of colliding with the wooden spectator stands if they didn't immediately change course. The Ravenclaw Seeker played it safe, and veered to the right to approach the Snitch from the side. But Lizzie continued straight for her target, reaching out her hand to grasp the Snitch. The moment her fingers closed about the ball she pulled her Firebolt upward with all her strength. The broom carried her straight up the face of the stands and into the sky, and the spectators went absolutely wild. It was the greatest end to a Quidditich game that most of them had ever seen, or ever hoped to see.

Luna put her mouth to her husband's ear, and over the noise of the crowd she shouted: "She's your daughter!"

Harry's expression that day was one that his friends would talk about for years, a unique blend of love and intense pride.

No one was more thrilled or excited about the win than Ronnie Weasley, who rocketed down the pitch to where Lizzie was hovering, holding up the Snitch in triumph. He threw his arms around his best friend and wrapped her in a joyous hug. The two children drifted slowly to earth, surrounded by the rest of the Gryffindor team. It was only at that moment that the two realized that all eyes were upon them, and they reluctantly separated. But as they walked off the pitch their parents noticed with a smile that the two were still holding hands.

It was a moment that neither of the children would ever forget, and as it happened they wouldn't be able to. For at that critical moment of victory a photographer for the Quibbler snapped a photograph of the two children as they were hugging each other. Luna Potter saw the photograph being taken, and quickly retrieved it; assuring the photographer that the publisher of the Quibbler would approve of her actions. The photo became one of the treasured memories of both the Potter and Weasley families.

Two things had become abundantly clear that day. The first thing was that the young Gryffindor team was definitely one that would have to be reckoned with, and would certainly never be underrated again. The second revelation, however, was only clear to the parents of the two children; and that was that Ronnie and Lizzie were becoming more than just friends, even though they were just eleven-years-old.

-o-

Narcissa Malfoy, from her place in the stands, was thoroughly disgusted by the cheers of the spectators at the Gryffindor victory. What made her even angrier was when she looked in the direction of her daughter and saw the young girl cheering at the top of her lungs. Narcissa knew what the child deserved, she deserved a good touch of the Crucio Curse for this act of treachery; but the tell-tale red light that accompanied it would reveal the dark woman's presence. Instead she withdrew her wand from her robes, aimed it at the young girl's back, and whispered some barely audible words. The girl fell forward into other cheering students, and then dropped to the ground unconscious. Other students stopped cheering and tried to help the unconscious girl while Narcissa pocketed her wand and walked quietly to the stairs.

When the Gryffindor team returned to their common room, they found that an enormous victory party had been set up; one that even rivaled the parties of the past. Hermione Weasley had asked the house elves to send up food and butterbeer for everyone, and magic streamers and confetti danced around the common room.

But while the other players entered the room to celebrate, Sean Finnegan remained in the hall outside. Grace Whitechapel had promised to meet him there, win or loose; but she hadn't arrived. After waiting for thirty minutes the boy became concerned about his usually reliable friend, and told Ronnie and Lizzie that he was going to look for her. They were concerned as well, but agreed to stay behind and keep the party going while he searched.

Sean ran all the way down to the entrance to the Slytherin common room, skidding to a stop just in time to avoid colliding with two second-year girls as they were leaving from the concealed entrance.

"Grace…Grace Whitechapel," the young boy stammered, completely out of breath. "Have you seen her?"

The two girls looked at him strangely before one of them answered. "She's in the Hospital Wing. She fainted at the end of the game."

But it was doubtful if the boy heard her last words, for he was already sprinting up the hall in the direction of the Hospital Wing. The two young girls looked at each other and giggled. So Grace had a boyfriend, and he was rather cute as well. What a juicy piece of gossip this was going to make.

The boy ran all the way to the hospital and burst in through the doors, completely out of breath. Grace lay in a bed by the doors with Professors Potter and Weasley sitting next to her. They had just begun to question the young girl when Sean burst in.

"Grace! Are you alright?" he asked in near panic, completely ignoring the two surprised teachers who sat at her side.

"I'm alright," she responded weakly.

"If you will excuse us for a few minutes, Mr. Finnegan, we were just about to inquire about Miss Whitechapel's condition."

"No! I want him to stay," Grace said firmly.

Without waiting for a further invitation, the young boy walked over and took a seat on the other side of Grace; his hand finding hers almost without thinking.

Harry smiled across at Hermione knowingly; it was exactly what he himself would have done if Luna was ill.

"To continue, Miss Whitechapel, do you know any reason why you might have fainted?"

"She didn't faint!" Madam Pomfrey announced, as she approached from her office. "The tests show that she was hit with a powerful Stunning Spell."

That information shocked everyone in the room. After a lengthy silence, while everyone considered the ramifications of what the medi-witch had said, Harry resumed speaking in a very serious tone. "Miss Whitechapel, do you have any idea who might have attacked you?"

Grace hesitated a moment, looked down at her hands, and said softly: "No, Professor." It was clear to Harry that the young girl was hiding something, but he knew that it would do him little good to press the matter.

Suddenly Harry turned to Sean Finnegan, looking the boy straight in the eyes. "Do you know anyone who might have had a reason for attacking Miss Whitechapel?"

The boy looked a bit uncomfortable, having been suddenly put on the spot, and he glanced over at Grace hoping for some direction. She shook her head slightly and then lowered her eyes. But when Sean looked back at the Headmaster there was resolution in his eyes.

"Yes! Some third-year Ravenclaw boys were picking on Grace a while ago," the boy said firmly.

Harry looked concerned at this, but shook his head. "No, the power required of this spell, and the duration of its effects, are quite beyond the abilities of any third-year. It was clearly an adult who attacked Miss Whitechapel; and one with considerable power." But then after a pause he added, "But if there is any reoccurrence of this harassment from your classmates I should like to know about it."

"Hermione, would you please speak to Professor Snape and interview all the students who were sitting near Miss Whitechapel? Please ask them if they saw anything out of the ordinary, or if any strangers were in the vicinity. Also, would you please ask Professor Snape to come see me?"

"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered as she rose to leave. Then, addressing the young girl, she said softly: "I hope you feel better, Miss Whitechapel."

"Thank you," Grace whispered, as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

"I think that Miss Whitechapel needs to rest now," Madam Pomfrey said with a note of finality.

"You are quite correct, we were just leaving. Don't worry, young lady, we'll get to the bottom of this," Harry said reassuringly.

"Um…may I sit with Grace for a little while?" Sean asked hesitantly.

The adults exchanged subtle smiles. "Yes, I think that will be alright. But she must remain quiet," Madam Pomfrey said, and with that the adults backed out of the room.

Grace had closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back the tears. She only opened them when she felt Sean squeeze her hand slightly. She looked up at him, her eyes full of sadness. "Who would have done this to me?" She asked in tears, holding his hand tightly.

"I don't know; but we'll find out and make sure that it never happens again," the boy said with determination. And then, in the hopes of raising her spirits, he added: "As soon as you're up and around why don't we all go on a picnic?"

"That would be nice," Grace answered shyly. "But where can we go?"

"There's a place on the other side of the Black Lake; its got trees, grass and a nice little beach. We can ask the house elves to pack us a picnic lunch and we can fly our brooms over.

A look of apprehension appeared in Grace's eyes. "I'm not very good on a broom," she said sadly.

"Well that's only because you've never had me to teach you," Sean said in a rather bold manner. "How about you and I meet next Saturday for some flying lessons?"

Grace blushed pink, but she nodded her head and smiled.

"Good, then it's a date….Uh, yes a…um, date. Well I better let you get some sleep," he said, starting to blush himself. As he almost reached the door he turned and asked hopefully, "Can I come and see you in the morning?"

"I'd like that," Grace replied shyly, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of crimson.

Sean was never quite sure how he got back to the Gryffindor common room, but he was sure he must have floated most of the way. He completely ignored the loud party going on, and the peculiar looks he was getting from his housemates, and simply drifted up to his room to bed. His dreams that night, involving a certain blond-haired Slytherin girl, were particularly sweet.

The next Saturday the two children left the castle immediately after breakfast; carrying their brooms over their shoulders and completely ignoring the whispered comments of their classmates. Grace didn't have a broom of her own, but Madam Hooch had agreed to loan her a school broom whenever she needed one. Sean proved to be an excellent instructor, and by the end of the day Grace could fly without fear; and they both agreed that it had been a wonderful day. The following weekend they had a picnic with their friends, which concluded with a spirited game of broom tag in which Grace was a happy participant.


	5. Chapter 5

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

PG – English – Romance/Adventure

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes: **My very special thanks to my friend Heather (_John Adams) _for all her help and encouragement in beta reading my story and keeping me on character. Someday I hope to be her equal as a writer.

**CHAPTER 5: THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS**

But the illusion of a pleasant first year for Lizzie Potter and her friends was shattered a few weeks later when the first in a series of frightening events took place. Professor Severus Snape, the irascible old potions master of Hogwarts, had received a message requesting his presence at the Ministry of Magic for an early morning meeting with the Chief of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The message claimed that a cache of dangerous dark potions had been discovered in the abandoned home of a known Death Eater, and Ministry aurors needed Snape's expertise regarding their proper disposal. With much grumbling the aged teacher agreed to go, and made arrangements for Madam Finnegan to cover his classes for the day. After breakfast he departed for what he hoped would be a quick meeting with Ministry officials; and he planned on returning that same evening. The problem was that he never arrived, and that no such meeting had ever been scheduled. Somehow Professor Snape had been intercepted en route, and was now officially listed as missing.

Few Hogwarts students took much notice, except to perhaps enjoy the unexpected holiday from the least popular teacher at the school. But Harry Potter and the teaching staff certainly took notice, and offered every assistance in the search for the potions master. Less than a week later Professor Snape's tortured and disfigured body was discovered in a derelict house on the outskirts of London. The speculation was that a surviving Death Eater had enacted a terrible revenge on Snape for his betrayal of the Dark Lord so many years before. The problem with that theory, as Harry well knew, was that Professor Snape had little to do with the final destruction of the Dark Lord, and that all known Death Eaters had long been dead. It was a mystery that greatly concerned Harry Potter, as well as those close to him.

As the day approached for the burial, a strong debate arose in the magical community as to whether a former Death Eater deserved to be laid to rest in the Cemetery of Heroes at Hogwarts. Though they never considered themselves friends, Harry Potter and Severus Snape had developed a grudging respect for one another over the years. Now Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore came forward and declared that the old man had earned his place in the cemetery at Hogwarts, and it was there that he would be laid to rest.

Harry had come to realize that Snape, no less than himself, had been molded by his times and his environment; but he has succeeded in rising above it. And so at the graveside it was Harry Potter who stepped forward to say the last words over Severus Snape. Only a handful of old warriors were present to hear the words; many having already passed through the veil themselves. But Albus Dumbledore, in spite of the frailties of his great age, stood ramrod straight by the grave. On either side of the old man there stood an eleven-year-old child. Ronnie Weasley and Lizzie Potter were a little confused as to why they were there, but their parents had said it was important that they attend.

There was some discussion among their parents whether the children should be present at such a solemn event, but Harry and Luna wanted their daughter to understand the struggle that had been fought on her behalf. They felt the child needed to know about the sacrifices that had been made to bring her the life that she now enjoyed. When Harry explained it to Ron and Hermione they both realized that he was right, and they wanted the same thing for their son. School was for learning, and this was a very important lesson. Later that night they sat apart from their friends, and thought about what they had learned. All their lives they had heard about the terrible war that had been fought before their birth, but it had never been real for them until that moment. Now the two shared an understanding of something terrible that their friends could never really comprehend; but together they could face it.

-o-

Peace then returned to Hogwarts, and the days of late fall grew shorter. There was a hint of winter in the air, and the trees of the Forbidden Forest had turned to brilliant shades of crimson, gold and orange. The death of Professor Snape had been almost completely forgotten, and even the aurors investigating the crime were running out of possible leads. Thoughts were turning to the upcoming Christmas holidays, and the presents that they all hoped to receive. And yet there was a tension in the air, such as comes before an autumn thunderstorm, and everyone could feel it with varying degrees of apprehension.

The first Hogsmead weekend came in late November, and the older children were allowed to visit the all-wizarding village. But there was also a treat for the younger children that had to stay behind, and some of the older children chose to stay behind and enjoy it as well. An informal autumn faire was planned for the shore of the Black Lake. The teachers had set up a variety of booths, and the house elves outdid themselves with a special outdoor banquet. In the days preceding the event, the heads of the various houses had helped the younger children create colorful costumes and festive masks. On the day of the event the grounds were swarming with a variety of diminutive make-believe trolls, ogres, and forest spirits. It turned out to be a wonderful day for everyone, and when the children went to bed that night they dreamed of candied apples, caramel corn and pumpkin pasties.

But that night, sometime after midnight, something terrible happened at Hogwarts. Mr. Filch and his cat were on their usual nightly patrol somewhere in the vicinity of the Great Hall. Not even the icy nights of late November could prevent the aged caretaker from performing what he regarded as his duty. As they neared the heavy doors he heard a sound like metal scrapping against stone.

"Ah, my darling, it sounds like we have caught some students out of bounds," the old caretaker said with a degree of satisfaction. He silently turned the handle and opened the door, allowing Mrs. Norris to enter and then following himself, and then the old man closed the door behind him.

The next morning the Prefects intercepted the students as they came down to their common rooms. By order of Professor Potter all students were restricted to their common rooms and dormitories, and all classes had been cancelled for the day. Confused students began to speculate on what it could all mean, but not even the Prefects seemed to know the answer to that. House elves delivered breakfast to the common room, and Lizzie saw her opportunity to get some answers.

"Dobby…Dobby!" she whispered in a hoarse voice, as the house elves were about to depart, and motioned to a rarely used alcove by the stairs that led to the girls dormitories. The elf looked around cautiously, to make sure that he was unobserved, and then joined Ronnie and Lizzie in the small room.

Lizzie had first met Dobby when she was only seven-years-old, and considered the tiny elf to be a special friend, but she had never seen him as frightened as this. Dobby was trembling fearfully as he sifted his eyes from one corner of the small room to another, almost as if he was afraid that some terrible monster might be lurking in the shadows.

"Dobby, what's happened?" Ronnie said, bringing the elf's attention back to the two children.

"Terrible…terrible thing…," the elf managed to stammer out. "Stay here Miss Lizzie and Mr. Ronnie; bad thing happen in Great Hall, very bad thing."

"But what bad thing, Dobby?" Lizzie insisted.

"Stay here…Harry Potter will take care of."

"But Dobby…" But it was too late, as the elf chose that moment to disappear.

"What do you think he meant by 'bad thing happened in the Great Hall?" Ronnie asked with mounting concern.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Lizzie answered, taking a small bite of toast. And they did wait, but no answers were forthcoming and there was no sign of any of the teachers. At lunchtime the house elves again brought food, but no answers. Only the Prefects and Head Boy and Girl had any contact with the teachers, and they weren't talking; but everyone could see that they were frightened by what little they had learned.

Late that afternoon Hermione entered the common room; and as she moved among her charges they could all see how pale and terribly tired she looked. All the students gathered around her as she dropped into one of the comfortable chairs by the fireplace, clearly grateful for even this bit of rest. The room was completely silent as she gathered her thoughts, preparing to speak words that she never thought possible.

"Something has happened…" she began, fatigue evident in every word she spoke. "Mr. Filch is dead." She paused at the collective gasp of the students gathered around her, and then began again. "His body was found in the Great Hall early this morning. His cat was with him, and she too was dead. Ministry representatives are currently conducting a complete investigation of the circumstances leading to their deaths, and Ministry aurors will be on school grounds for the next several days. The school curfew will be rigidly enforced, and we ask that when you are not in class you return to your common rooms and dormitories. You will all be allowed to go down to the Great Hall for dinner this evening. But please remember that a man we all knew is dead, and please show the proper respect."

With that, the head of Gryffindor House rose and left the common room; leaving frightened and concerned students behind her. It was as much what she didn't say as what she did that frightened them. It was obvious that Mr. Filch and his cat had been murdered. But why was the old man killed, and did it have anything to do with the murder of Professor Snape? And the restrictions placed on them clearly indicated that the teachers were concerned that danger still existed. Was there a killer loose in Hogwarts? One thing was certain, no one would try to break curfew for a long time to come.

But the students weren't the only ones who were frightened, so were the faculty; for they knew the reason for the murder of Mr. Filch. When the house elves found the body they had also discovered that the hearthstone of the great fireplace had been shifted, and that which had been buried beneath it a dozen years before had been removed. Only a handful of people knew that Professor Dumbledore had ordered the remains of Lord Voldemort cremated, and that his ashes were buried beneath that very hearthstone. The old headmaster didn't want to take the chance that the ashes might fall into the hands of some future dark wizard, and become a grim rallying symbol. In spite of being guarded by numerous protective wards and charms, the vessel containing the ashes was missing.

But if fear was the dominant emotion felt by most students, it most certainly didn't include young Lizzie Potter and her friends. It was curiosity that motivated their thoughts in the days immediately following the murder. After all, considering who their parents were, any other reaction would be unthinkable. The four children from Ottery St. Catchpole soon drew Sean Finnegan and Grace Whitechapel into their investigation, and together they were determined to learn all they could about the deaths of Professor Snape and Mr. Filch.

Of course their parents were of no help whatsoever; like all parents they were determined to shelter and protect their children from such horrors. But they did quickly learn from Dobby that the hearthstone in the Great Hall was moved and that something was taken away, but the elf was too afraid to tell them what. But Lizzie and Ronnie would not be stopped so easily, and they had a pretty good idea where they could gain the additional information they sought. They learned as young children that their dear Uncle Hagrid could never keep a secret. And so one afternoon the children broke the rules and went down to Hagrid's hut after class; on the ruse of finding out how Pixie was doing.

"Now wha' yeh doin' 'ere?" The half giant asked, trying to sound displeased. "'Snot safe fer yer ter be 'ere with wha's goin' on."

"We just wanted to find out how Pixie is," Lizzie said innocently.

"Well, yeh jus' better come in afore someone sees yeh." Hagrid replied, and ushered them into the single large room that made up his home. The teapot was sputtering on the fire happily, the ancient Wolfhound Fang slept peacefully in the corner; and the children were happy to discover that these things at least had not changed. Both children gladly accepted the hot tea that Hagrid offered them, for it was rather cold outside; but while his back was turned they secretly deposited the Rock Cakes into their pockets for later disposal.

"What's going on, Hagrid? It's more than Mr. Filch being killed. I've never seen my mum so frightened; all of the teachers are." Ronnie asked with concern.

"Well never yeh mind. Nothin' for yer to be worryin' bout." But even as he was speaking the children realized that his words were just to reassure them, and that Hagrid himself was worried. "If 'e comes back 'arry 'ill jus' tak care o' 'im again. 'ermione said 'hey can't brin' 'im back from no ashes, an' tha's good 'nough fer me."

"Bring who back? Were Voldemort's ashes buried under the stone!" Lizzie asked in amazement. "Was that what they were after?"

"Shouldn' ave said nothin.' No, ah shouldn't ave said nothing.' Hagrid said, lecturing himself severely. "Now you two jus' go back ter the school an' leav this ter the adults." And with that he hastily escorted them to the door and walked them back to the castle, stubbornly refusing to speak least he give something else away.

But now they knew the truth, they knew the one thing that could frighten Ron's mother and most of the teaching staff. Was someone really trying to bring Voldemort back to life? That night, in a quiet corner of the Gryffindor common room, they told their friends in hushed whispers all that they had learned. Grace Whitechapel turned as white as one of the Hogwarts ghosts, and Sean Finnegan put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Heather and Holly had put on brave faces, but Ronnie noticed that the twins had moved in closer to their friends. And it was then that he realized that he was holding Lizzie's hand protectively, and that she was squeezing his hand tightly. None of them wanted to go to the loneliness of their beds that night; fearing the demons that their dreams might conjure up. And so they talked together long into the night, trying to make sense of what they had heard. The six eventually fell asleep in the common room, finding a measure of peace in the closeness of their friends. But there was little sleep for their parents, who were responsible for the protection of their young charges.

- o -

Under the circumstances it was only natural to expect students to begin to fall behind on their school assignments, and there was little the teachers could do to prevent it. And so it happened that on the night before his Transfigurations essay was due, Ronnie Weasley had barely made a start. Lizzie had offered to let her friend copy off her own paper, but the young boy knew his Mother would immediately spot any such attempt.

Hermione Weasley might show patience with other students, but Ronnie knew that she expected him to have his work done on time. He worked in the library all evening, with Lizzie at his side helping with the research. But because of recent events the school curfew had been set at seven o'clock, and they were only half done when the Librarian told them they had to leave. Ronnie told Lizzie that he would simply get up early and finish in the morning; but she knew her friend too well to believe it. Actually Ronnie was planning to sneak back later to finish his research.

Late that night, when all was quiet, Ronnie came down to the common room. He was surprised to discover that Lizzie was patiently waiting for him.

"Not going without me, are you?" she asked in a whisper, giving him a mischievous look.

"I didn't want you to get into trouble," Ronnie replied sincerely. But her presence made him feel much better, as it always did.

Lizzie tilted her head to one side and gave him a dreamy smile. "There's only trouble if we get caught, and we won't be." And then she held up her Father's invisibility cloak, which she had draped over her arm. "Are you ready?"

"Sure," Ronnie exclaimed, giving his friend a grateful smile of his own.

Lizzie carefully covered herself with the cloak and then raised it up so her friend could join her beneath it. The two made their way out through the portrait hole and into the darkened hallway.

They did alright moving along the flat hallway, but going down the stairs under the cumbersome cloak presented some real challenges. The cloak was too long, even with the two of them beneath it, and they had to hold it up slightly. At one point Ronnie nearly tripped on the hem, and Lizzie had to grab him to prevent his falling down the stairs.

"Be careful," she whispered with concern.

"Sorry," he replied a bit sheepishly, as he tried to synchronize his steps with those of his friend.

After a very tiring trek through the midnight darkness of the ancient castle the two children found their way to the heavy oak doors of the library. Ronnie used the charm his mother had shown him to quietly unlock the doors, and the two slipped inside unseen. They selected a table well in the back of the room that was out of sight of the door, but still close enough to hear if anyone entered. Using wand-light to gather the books that they needed, the two began to scribble down the documentation that Ronnie would need to complete his essay.

They were almost finished when the two children heard the sound of the heavy library doors being opened. They quickly extinguished their wands and hastily threw the invisibility cloak over their heads, and then they held their breaths and waited.

They were surprised to see that it was their own parents that were entering the Hogwarts Library at one o'clock in the morning. Suddenly the wall torches blazed up, and the dark interior became daylight bright. Harry, Luna and Hermione walked across the floor and entered the restricted section. Hermione reached above her head and pulled down a heavy volume in a tattered leather binding. The two children watched her every move in silence from beneath the invisibility cloak.

"It clearly states that there is absolutely no way to bring the dead back to life from their ashes," Hermione declared, reverting to the classroom lecture mode that Ronnie and Lizzie knew so well. "But it does say that the ashes can be used for other things."

"Like what?" Harry asked.

But in response to Harry's question Hermione responded with uncertainty, "Well the books are a little vague on that, but ashes appear to be a prime ingredient in a number of control spells. I'm afraid our books don't cover details of dark spells very well. What we really need is a library with a good collection of books on the dark arts; but I don't know where we can find it."

"I do," Harry replied with grim certainty. "Sirius once told me that the Black Family had the largest collection of books on the dark arts in England."

"Of course…" Hermione exclaimed, "Grimmauld Place!"

"The three of us should go on the weekend, when we can spend the whole day if necessary," Harry declared. "But I think that this incident is only a part of something much larger. It's clear that the deaths of Professor Snape and Mr. Filch, as well as the attack on Miss Whitechapel, must all be connected."

"Do you really think the attack on Grace Whitechapel is connected to all of this?" Hermione asked in shock. The two children hidden under the invisibility cloak were even more shocked, not wanting to believe that their friend might also be a possible target.

"It must be," declared Luna, speaking up for the first time. "Only a really skilled dark wizard could launch such an attack within the grounds of Hogwarts and not be detected."

"But why Miss Whitechapel? She's hardly what you would consider a threat."

"That, Hermione, is what we need to find out. We'll stop by and talk with Tonks in the morning, and then visit the library at Grimmauld Place. Maybe there is something in the child's past that can give us a clue."

"You don't think she's in danger, do you Harry?"

"I hope not, Lu. But we all need to be aware that the threat is out there, and be prepared for anything. I'll talk to the rest of the teachers in the morning."

With that the three teachers left the library in darkness. The two children remained in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts, and then they returned to Gryffindor Tower. Ronnie's Transfiguration paper was completely forgotten, now they had more important things to think about

- o -

The next day Ronnie and Lizzie waited for their friends after class was over, and led them out to a secluded place that they had found along the shore of the Black Lake. It was screened on three sides by thick vegetation, and they could speak without fear of being overheard. There they told them everything that they had heard the night before.

Grace visibly trembled when they told her that the Headmaster thought there was a connection between her attack and the two murders. Sean moved close to the terrified girl and put an arm around her shoulders, which helped restore her courage. In answer to their questions, the frightened girl told them what little she knew about her past, which wasn't much. She was as mystified as they were about why she might be targeted.

The only thing that she remembered about her mother was that she had long blond hair and blue eyes. She also admitted with a touch of shame that she remembered fearing her Mother. She told them that her Mother had given her a bronze charm as a child, and told her that something terrible would happen to her if she ever took it off.

"Can I see it?" Lizzie asked carefully.

Grace carefully pulled it out from beneath her sweater and showed it to the others.

"What is that symbol?" Lizzie asked, inspecting the small bronze charm closely.

"In don't know," Grace responded.

As Lizzie looked closer she realized that the charm was inscribed with a runic symbol, but one far more elaborate than she had ever seen before. She didn't recognize the sign, but knew that there were many obscure runic dialects that she hadn't yet studied. She took a quill and a piece of parchment out of her book bag and carefully copied the detailed rune. It was only a slim possibility that it might lead to anything, but so far it was all that they had. She would try to identify the symbol in the library later.

The six also decided that Grace shouldn't be left alone in the castle or the grounds, and that one of them should be with her at all times.

"Why don't you ask for a transfer to Gryffindor House, and then we could be with you all the time," Heather suggested.

"That's a great idea," Sean agreed enthusiastically.

Grace thought about the idea for a moment, looking at the hopeful faces of her friends. She was never comfortable in Slytherin House, and had no close friends there. As a matter of fact, her housemates had repeatedly told her she just didn't fit in with the Slytherin spirit. Such comments had bothered her in the past, but now she realized that they were right. She would speak to Professor Marchbank, the new head of Slytherin House, in the morning.

"I think I'd like to be a Gryffindor," she declared, a slight smile on her face.

- o -

On Saturday morning Harry, Luna and Hermione had an early breakfast and flooed to the Ministry of Magic in London. Even after so many years of such travel, Harry stumbled upon exiting the fireplace into the great marble atrium. Luna, knowing well that her husband's grace on a broom did not extend to floo travel, grabbed his arm securely as he stepped into the room.

"Thanks," he said with a smile, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd fall down a lot more," Hermione said with a smirk

"Don't worry Harry, I'll always be there to catch you," Luna said with a grin, and Harry knew that was true.

The three friends made their way to the Office of Magical Law Enforcement, where they had an appointment with an old friend who was now the Senior Auror. Nymphadora Tonks had held the position for six years, and had made sweeping improvements in the way aurors were trained and conducted their duties. She got up from her desk when she saw her friends enter, and then tripped on the carpet as she was walking around to greet them. Suddenly everything went into slow motion and she was able to regain her footing. As quickly as it had started, things went back to their normal speed and she greeted her friends warmly.

"What was that?" Harry asked in shock.

"A little spell that Remus made for me," Tonks responded proudly. "He says it will mean that I'll never fall again."

Harry looked at his old friend a little dubiously, for Tonks had a long history of accidental misadventures, but he took his friend at her word. "That's great," Harry exclaimed sincerely.

The four seated themselves in comfortable chairs in front of a warm marble fireplace. Tonks waved her wand and tea and a tray of fresh scones appeared hovering in the air. It slowly moved from one chair to the other, and each of them took a cup. Once they were all comfortable Harry brought up the subject that had brought them there.

"Has the Ministry learned anything new about the murders of Professor Snape and Mr. Filch?"

"I'm afraid we've learned very little. Professor Snape was seen in the company of a dark-haired woman upon his arrival in London, but the witness was unable to provide any more of a description than that. We don't even know if she's connected to the crime, but we're working on that assumption. We believe that both murders were the work of dark wizards, and we believe they were connected."

"Yes, we've reached the same conclusion," Harry responded. "We also believe that a recent attack on one of our students is connected as well."

"Miss Whitechapel," said Tonks definitely. "I've had two aurors researching the child's background, but they've found almost nothing. It's almost like she simply fell out of the sky and into that orphanage. It's very strange for a magical child to simply pop up in a muggle orphanage; it's almost as if she was planted there," Tonks said thoughtfully.

Harry had thought about this possibility as well, but couldn't think of why a two-year-old magical child would be deliberately placed in the hands of muggles. "You will continue to examine the matter though?"

"Of course, Harry. She's the only living lead we have," Tonks assured him.

Before they left Harry then told her that they were on their way to Grimmauld Place to check out spells that might use Voldemort's ashes as an ingredient.

"I don't even want to think about that place," she said with a shudder. "And I don't envy you going there either. No one's set foot in that house in more than a dozen years; it's probably full of all manner of nasty little things." It was then Hermione's turn to shudder, and Luna put a reassuring hand on her arm to calm her friend.

- o -

A half hour later they were standing in front of the ancient oak doors of Grimmauld place, not really looking forward to the visit. Since the destruction of Lord Voldemort the ancient house had been deserted, lying in peaceful decay. Harry had received title to the house in the will of his godfather, Sirus Black; but he had not set foot inside the house since his tumultuous fifth-year. He remembered how his godfather had hated the house, and he had promised himself that he would never enter it again. But lives now hung in the balance, and the extensive Black Family library might provide some answers.

Reluctantly Harry inserted the heavy iron key in the ancient lock, turning it with some difficulty; and them pushed the heavy door inwards. It gave way grudgingly, and only with loud complaints from it's rusting hinges. Stepping into the entrance hall they were truly amazed by the amount of dust and cobwebs that had accumulated in only a dozen years. Harry drew his wand and with a wave and a whispered spell he dissolved the curtain of webbing that blocked the front stairs. The three then climbed the stairs in complete silence; no one wishing to awaken the vile portrait of old Mrs. Black.

The library was the first door on the right at the top of the stairs. Opening the long closed door, Harry revealed a library fully as large as that at Hogwarts, but devoted to the darkest of magic. Hermione gasped at the sheer size of the magically enlarged room. Row after row of floor to ceiling bookcases literally groaned under the weight of thousands of books; almost all dealing with the dark arts.

"It will take us weeks to go through all of these books," Hermione said in despair. And it's an all day excursion to come down here. Couldn't we arrange to have these books transported to Hogwarts, where they will be more available?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't want our students to have access to these books," Harry declared firmly.

Hermione knew he was right, but she hated to turn her back on so much knowledge.

"There might be a way to achieve both ends," Luna said in the dreamy way that Harry loved so much. "Couldn't we put them in the North Tower? Professor Dumbledore once told me that it hadn't been used in more than a century, and then we could ward it to control access."

Harry and Hermione looked at Luna with something approaching awe. Hers was the perfect solution: security and ready access.

"Brilliant! No wonder you were in Ravenclaw," Harry declared in admiration. "I'll arrange for the house elves to move them tonight."

Then the three friends left the oppressive old house, glad to be away from the feeling of residual evil that it contained.


	6. Chapter 6

5-29-07

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

PG – English – Romance/Adventure/Horror

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Warning: **I've had to rewrite chapter five and move some of the material into this chapter, so you might check out the changes. This chapter begins very fluffy, but then becomes very dark as Narcissa's plan is revealed. Contains a scene involving human sacrifice, be warned.

**CHAPTER 6: PUPPY LOVE**

In the days that followed the murder of Mr. Filch the school was gripped in fear, with everyone dreading another attack. Harry was deluged by owls from frightened parents, and only his presence at the school prevented a mass removal of students. The teachers valiantly attempted to create as much normalcy as they could, but it proved almost impossible. Students traveled in groups wherever they went, and as the shadows of late afternoon began to lengthen they would flee to the safety of their common rooms. Dark corridors were religiously avoided, even if it meant a long detour; and the coming of night brought a chill of fear to even the bravest of hearts. A thousand rumors swept through the school: rumors of demons, monsters and vampires. The few that knew the truth weren't talking; because a vampire loose at Hogwarts was definitely to be preferred over the possible return of the Dark Lord.

Sean Finnegan showed his Irish temper one day when he caught a third-year Ravenclaw boy thrusting a wreath of garlic in Grace Whitechapel's face. It was fortunate that the young boy didn't know anything worse than the Bat-Bogey Hex, because he would have most certainly used it. As it was he left the older boy rolling on the floor in pain, protectively leading Grace away from the confused scene. A grateful kiss from the young girl quickly made Sean forget his anger, and the two walked out into the courtyard together holding hands.

Near the fountain old Madam Pomfrey stood talking to her friend Madam Pince. The two women were now the oldest members of the school faculty, but the years had only served to strengthen their friendship. But as they watched the two children approach they were able to remember the days of their youth, and their own first loves.

"Puppy love," Madam Pomfrey said with a smile, as she looked over at her friend. "It's nice to know that fear isn't the only emotion at Hogwarts these days." Her friend nodded her head, and they both smiled at the two children as they walked by.

"Puppy love:" that curious term that has long been applied to the first flowering of intense feelings that young children can have for each other. Some adults dismiss it as a poor, pale imitation of the real thing; but for those lucky enough to have experienced it, the memories can be particularly sweet and will endure long after other loves are forgotten. It is one of the purest forms of that wonderful condition, before it becomes confused with passions and desires. It is a generous, giving form of love; one that asks little but offers much. To deny its significance is to deny a special magic that is all too fleeting in our lives. And Grace and Sean were just beginning to experience its magic.

The love that they shared wasn't about passion and hormones; it was about friendship, trust and holding hands; with an occasional very chaste kiss. If they were lucky it would be the beginning of a love that would last them for a lifetime and beyond; and they were feeling lucky. Older students might smirk at the two young children and say that what they had wasn't real; but then who's to say what true love really is. Whatever it was it warmed them, gave them courage, and made them feel fortunate in a very dark time.

- o -

But Madam Pomfrey and Madam Pince weren't the only ones that had noticed the two young children; Ronnie Weasley had also seen and watched them with envy. He envied them their joined hands, the kiss they shared, and the way they looked at each other as more than friends. He wanted to share the same feelings with his friend Lizzie Potter, but he didn't know how to ask.

Ever since he had come to Hogwarts his feelings towards his friend had been changing. She would always be his best friend, but now he wanted more. 'What would it be like to kiss Lizzie?' he wondered for the hundredth time.

But the strength of their friendship seemed the core of his problem. He had always been able to tell Lizzie everything, but how could he tell her this? What if she didn't share his feelings? Would she laugh at him? 'No, not Lizzie, never Lizzie,' he scolded himself, dismissing that scenario from his mind. 'But what if she looked at him sadly, and told him that she only liked him as a friend.' That would be a thousand times worse.

Ronnie sighed loudly, and sticking his hands in his pockets, followed his friends down the hallway. He looked more than anything like someone who had lost his last friend. Suddenly an arm shot out from a doorway and grabbed him by the sleeve, pulling him into an empty classroom.

There stood Lizzie Potter, a look of real concern in her eyes. "Okay Ronnie, it's time to tell, what's the matter with you?'

He slumped down in a nearby seat and stared down at the floor. "Um…nothing…nothings wrong."

"Don't tell me that, I want to know what's wrong," she insisted, getting down on her knees so she was at eye level with her friend. "Don't you know that you can tell me anything?" She said and placed her hand on his.

Ronnie was ashamed because he knew she was right. All his life she had been his best friend, his confident, the person he could always depend upon. He took in a deep breath and whispered, "I like you."

"What?" she asked, not quite hearing his words.

"I said, I like you."

She thought about his words for a long moment, and then a warm smile appeared on her face. "I like you too."

"I don't mean that way," the young boy said in frustration, turning back to look down at the desk.

Lizzie reached her hand under his chin, and gently turned his head until she was looking into his eyes. "I know how you mean it, Ronnie. I feel the same way about you."

"You do?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course I do. Who else could I ever feel that way about?" she said sincerely.

A wide, goofy grin appeared on his face; which became goofier still after Lizzie leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

It was lunch time, but neither child felt like eating. They left the empty classroom together and made their way down to the Black Lake. They spent their whole lunch talking about this new aspect of their relationship, and almost missed the start of their first afternoon class.

During normal times, romantic relationships between such young children would have been the talk of Hogwarts, and their classmates would have been shocked to say the least. But these weren't normal times, and frightened students had more to worry about than a couple of cases of puppy love.

- o -

Grace felt strangely fortunate during these dark days. She was not nearly as fearful as she would have been a year earlier, and she realized that it was association with her Gryffindor friends that seemed to give her a measure of courage. While they were certainly concerned about recent events, they didn't share the numbing fear had that infected the rest of the school.

Returning from the library in the early evening she could see small groups of frightened girls rushing from one lighted torch to another in the darkening corridors. They traveled in tight little groups, clearly afraid that a blood-sucking fiend might jump out of any shadow. Yet with Sean Finnegan walking by her side, holding her hand, she didn't feel the least bit afraid. As he wasn't afraid, she wouldn't allow herself to be afraid either.

And then one night, as she was reading quietly in her common room, she overheard a remarkable conversation. Five second- and third-year girls were sitting at a nearby table trying to catch up with their homework. These were the same girls who not long before had ridiculed her about liking a boy younger than herself. But now they were talking about her enviously. Slytherin boys seemed only interested in protecting themselves, and traveled in groups wherever they went. The female members of the house were basically left to fend for themselves. The girls talked about how brave Sean Finnegan was to walk Grace back from the library each night and then return to his common room alone, and they agreed that perhaps Grace was rather wise in her choice of boyfriends.

'Her boyfriend,' Grace liked the sound of that. In the days that followed the two grew even closer, and if there hadn't been other things to occupy peoples minds they would have been the subject of a good deal of gossip.

- o -

But while some of the younger children of Hogwarts were experiencing the magic of a first love a very different scene was playing out in a forest clearing near Hogsmead. Upon obtaining the ashes of Lord Voldemort, Narcissa Malfoy summoned the members of her Greek coven to Britain to commence the final phase of her plan. They had all arrived by late November in time for the first phase of the winter moon, the time appointed for the brewing of the required potion.

In Scottish folklore the new Moon is known as the 'Virgin's Moon,' but there was nothing pure or innocent about what was taking place beneath its rays this night. The winds of November had ripped the last of the leaves from the surrounding trees, leaving only naked skeletal figures to stand guard beneath the cold winter skies. The bare ground had a light dusting of show that was the first portent of the severe winter to come.

In the center of the clearing a raging fire burned beneath an ancient iron cauldron. Thirteen women, garbed in black, stood silent watch around it as they waited for the moon to rise. The coming ritual would be exhausting to an extreme, and would consume most of the night. The only sounds to be heard were the crackling of the fire and the low moaning of the wind in the treetops. Highland legend attributed the haunting sound to the cries of lost souls, which perfectly fit the mood of this particular ritual.

As the moon rose above the treetops one of the thirteen women stepped forward to a make-shift altar that stood before the steaming cauldron. As she raised her arms to the heaven, the firelight clearly showed the blade that she had clutched in her right hand. She glanced down at the body that lay bound atop the altar, and smiled as it continued to struggle against its invisible bounds. It was only a muggle and of no consequence, and she regarded it as nothing more than another ingredient required for her potion. Still, the fear and panic in its eyes was most entertaining, and she was enjoying the moment. Then in a clear, strong voice she called forth the ancient gods and asked their assistance with her ritual. Then she plunged the blade into the heart of the muggle with all her strength, and his struggle ceased forever.

The snow around the altar was stained red by the sacrifice; but enough of the precious liquid was saved to fill a silver chalice, which was then poured into the cauldron as prescribed in the ancient texts. It was only the first of the many ingredients that the potion required. The witches raised their voices to recite the ancient incantation required in the brewing of the potion, and even the November wind seemed to go silent in the face of this darkest of dark magic. With each subsequent ingredient the incantation would be repeated, as the process of strengthening the potion continued into the wee small hours of the morning.

The last ingredient to be added was the ashes of Lord Voldemort, for only the ashes of a really powerful dark wizard could make the ancient potion work. And then the first step in the long process was completed. The next step was to allow the potion to cure for a period of three months, at which time it could be used. The potion was allowed to simmer until the hour before dawn, at which time it was taken to the Shrieking Shack.

Anyone stumbling upon the scene that night would have thought that they were seeing something out of Seventeenth Century Salem. For witches no longer gathered under the midnight skies, and the concept of a coven was all but forgotten. But this was an old potion, and its requirements had to be fulfilled exactly. But Narcissa Malfoy wasn't concerned that someone would stumble upon their gathering; if anyone did they would never live to speak of what they had seen.

In the quiet of the early morning she gathered her coven together to tell them the details of her plans; until that moment they had been blindly following her will, but now they would know. She did not merely plan the destruction of Harry Potter and his family, her need for vengeance could not be satisfied so easily. She would invoke the most terrible spell every created to destroy all those who had stood against the will of the Dark Lord, both muggle and magical. And no simple matter of death; her spell would change the children of Hogwarts into monsters who would first hunt and kill their parents, and then kill every living thing they encountered.

Narcissa gloated about the look on Harry Potter's face when he realized that his eleven-year-old daughter was coming to rip his throat out, and there was nothing he could do to stop it short of killing the child himself. A perfect revenge indeed.

- o -

But while the forces of darkness were on the move, so were the forces of light. The decaying rooms of the north tower had been quickly cleaned and made ready to receive the thousands of volumes that were to be transported from Grimmauld Place. Harry and Luna had simultaneously established strong wards around the tower, so that only selected adults could gain entrance to Hogwarts newest, and most dangerous books. And then in the space of but a single night the house elves moved the entire library.

Hermione was working on a project of her own in the Headmaster's Office, one that required multiple floo calls and several hours to complete. She knew that the three teachers could never hope to search through such an enormous mass of material to find a single spell; but she also knew that old friends could always be depended upon. Within a few minutes the office was crowded with willing volunteers as one friend after another stepped out of the fireplace to offer help. The Weasley clan was the first to arrive, followed in quick succession by Tonks, Remus, Ginny Longbottom, Edward and Minerva Lovegood and Ron Weasley. Hermione quickly briefed her family and friends on the urgency of their mission, and then as a group they trooped down the stairs to the hidden third-floor entrance to the North Tower.

Students who saw this unusual parade smiled and joked about the strange sight; but Ronnie Weasley and Lizzie Potter weren't laughing. They realized that something very serious must going on to bring all these people to Hogwarts on a quiet winter day. Ronnie Weasley saw his Father walking beside his Mother down the hallway, and knew that he was supposed to be on his way to Italy for an international Quidditch match against a strong Italian team. Only a matter of the utmost importance would keep him from attending. The grave and serious looks on their faces told the children even more; even their Aunt Tonks looked deadly serious, in spite of her spiked, pink hair.

Each morning for the next week the same odd parade took place, as the aging members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived at Hogwarts to search for spells that could use Voldemort's ashes, and especially a spell that might return him to life. Each morning the children watched as the adults pass through a secret door leading to the North Tower, eager to help with whatever they were doing. But their questions met with only silence, as their parents felt the children were too young for any involvement with such dangerous matters.

But Ronnie and Lizzie were determined to learn what was going on, and they had a pretty good idea who might be able to tell them. Unable to gain access to the North Tower, Lizzie and Ronnie sought out their friend Dobby the House Elf, who knew everything that went on in the castle.

"What's in the old tower, Dobby?" Lizzie asked innocently.

"Can't tell Miss Lizzie and Mr. Ronnie, it big secret." the small elf said sincerely.

"We're friends aren't we? Friends don't keep secrets from one another," Lizzie said sincerely. But then seeing the hurt look on her friend's face Lizzie added more gently, "It's alright Dobby; but is there a reason you can't tell us?"

The tiny house elf scrunched up his face as if deeply in thought and try as he would he really couldn't think of a reason to keep the information from his friends.

"Books…many, many books in old tower," the elf said in a low whisper, looking around to make sure that no one else could hear. "House elves bring them from House of Black. Books about bad things…dark magic. Members of Order try to read them, but it be most difficult…most difficult."

It didn't take much thought for the six children to realize what the adults were up to. "They're trying to find if there's a spell to bring Voldemort back to life," Ronnie stated conclusively. Grace was the only one to shiver at the mention of his name, but the courage of her friends gave her courage as well.

The next morning children fell silently into step behind their elders, and followed them down the hallway leading to the statue of Winifred the Weird. Hermione waved her wand and the statue slid to one side, admitting the adults to a dark passage beyond. When the children approached the entrance, Hermione stepped forward with a grim expression on her face.

"And where do you think you're going?" she said in a not unkindly way.

"We want to help, Mum" responded Ronnie sincerely.

His Mother's features softened, but not her resolve. "And what do you think we're doing?"

"You're trying to find out if there is a spell or potion that can bring Voldemort back to life," Ronnie responded confidently.

"And you're using the books from the Black Family library to find it," Lizzie added with certainty.

The children had never seen Hermione Weasley look so shocked in all their lives. She took a step backwards, her eyes wide with shock, as she gasped in a barely audible whisper: "How did you know?"

Declining to answer directly, her son responded, "We all want to help."

Regaining her composure somewhat, but with a new sense of respect for her son and his friends, Hermione answered. "I don't know how you found out about this, but what we are doing is very dangerous. I can see how brave you all are, but you need to leave this to the adults." And then as an afterthought she added, "Now don't you all have some studying to do?"

"Yes, Madam Weasley," they reluctantly responded, and sadly turned away. None of them saw the strong smile of pride on Hermione's face as she watched them go.

After only a few short days the group of old warriors had made remarkable progress, and had found several potions that incorporated ashes as a prime ingredient. Old Madam Pince the Librarian had been especially valuable, as she had been able to bring a sense of organization to the confused mass of documentation. Many of the books were written in cipher, and would take weeks to translate, but Ministry code-breakers were hard at work on those volumes. By the end of the week a partial list of potions had been created. Fortunately, none of them even hinted at being able to bring Voldemort back to life; but they still represented a very dangerous collection of dark potions.

- o -

As Christmas vacation approached, the fears of the student body lessened every so slightly. No further attacks had taken place, and thoughts of home and family began to take an ever greater place in the student's thoughts. Christmas at Hogwarts School had always been a special time, with the castle and grounds covered with drifts of pure white snow, and long crystal ice cycles hanging from every roof and turret. The inside of the castle was no less magical than the outside. The Great Hall was decorated with twelve great Christmas trees decked out with hundreds of brightly colored ornaments, and every common room had their own festive Yule Log that burned brightly for the whole season. Even the dead joined in the celebration, as the castle ghosts wandered about the halls singing festive Christmas carols.

But this Christmas season would be different, and the Great Hall would be dark and no carols would be sung. For if concern among the students had lessened, that was not the case with the teaching staff. Harry Potter had made the decision that with the current danger it would be unsafe for anyone to remain behind over the holidays. There were too many dark corridors; there was too much chance that someone might be caught alone. Even with teams of aurors still patrolling the castle, fear still stalked the hallways. Under the circumstances Harry thought it would be best to close the school and send everyone home.

That was the announcement he made in the first week of December: that the school would be closed and everyone would have to make arrangements to go home. For most of the students this announcement presented no problem, because they were already planning to leave for the holidays. But for a select few the decision did create major challenges; and one of these students was Grace Whitechapel. She really didn't have a home to return to; only the cold, inner city orphanage where she had spent most of her life.

She had no desire to return to that cold, uncaring place; and would almost have preferred to remain behind at Hogwarts alone and take her chances. But she knew that the decision was not hers, and resigned herself to spending her Christmas alone in that cruel jungle that she remembered so well.

- o -

But Harry Potter was already thinking about that problem. There were several orphans that were currently attending Hogwarts, and Harry had no intention that any of them would spend Christmas alone in an orphanage. At a faculty meeting in the early part of December it was decided that a teacher would take each of these children home with them and make the season special for the child in their charge.

Remus Lupin had immediately volunteered to take Grace Whitechapel with him, as there was something about the lonely child that touched him deeply. At first meeting he thought that the child, like himself, might be suffering from the disease of lycanthropy; but he later learned that the full moon had no effect on the child at all. Still there was definitely something, for beneath her shy and introverted exterior he sensed a heart as wild and untamed as his own.

He had spoken to his wife about the child frequently, and she was looking forward to having her stay with them for the holidays. Tonks had always regretted that she and her husband were never able to have children of their own, and now she secretly wondered if this lonely child might be the answer to her prayers.

Harry was delighted when Remus asked to take the young girl home, because he knew how his old friends longed for children of their own. Harry and Luna both thought that it was a perfect fit, as they all had so much love to give. Grace needed loving parents, and their old friends needed a child to love. And Christmas at the Burrow was the perfect time and place to get them all together, and let nature take its course.

- o -

As December progressed, and the holidays drew closer, it became more and more difficult for the students to concentrate on their studies. Thoughts of family, Christmas, and the presents they would receive seemed to dominate their thoughts; leaving little room for lessons. This problem was especially true among the younger students; and the teaching staff was pulling out all the stops to make their lessons fun and interesting.

Even those not returning to happy homes seemed caught up in Christmas dreaminess, perhaps even more so than the others. Grace Whitechapel was terribly embarrassed when her favorite teacher, Professor Remus Lupin, gently woke her from a rather wonderful daydream. She was celebrating Christmas with a family of her very own, and they were all happy; a far cry from the cruel and impersonal institution to which she was destined. He didn't seem angry about her lack of attention, but he did ask her to remain after class; so she knew that she was in trouble.

Grace remained in her seat at the end of class, the other students giving her sympathetic looks as they filed out. As she waited while her teacher put his things away, she wondered what kind of punishment she would receive. Professor Lupin had a good reputation among the students of Hogwarts, who regarded him as a kind and understanding teacher. Grace didn't think she would receive a detention; probably just a gentle lecture and the loss of a few house points. But the thing that really hurt was that he might think she wasn't interested in his class, which happened to be her favorite.

As far back as Grace could remember Professor Lupin had a crystal candy jar on the corner of his desk. The stopper was in the form of a wolf's head; a rather gentle looking wolf she thought. Whenever anyone was having trouble with a spell, or couldn't quite find the answer to a difficult question, Professor Lupin always had a Licorice Wand to make them feel better.

Now as she saw her teacher walking towards her he was smiling and carrying the jar with him. He sat down on the corner of the desk opposite her and extended the jar towards her.

"Licorice Wand?" he asked gently.

Grace didn't raise her head to meet his eyes, but reached out and gratefully took one. "Thank you, Professor" she said softly. "I'm sorry I was daydreaming in class today." she said apologetically, her eyes still lowered

"It's quite alright Grace. This time of year even the teachers have trouble keeping their minds on schoolwork," he answered gently. "The reason I asked you to remain behind is that I wanted to ask what you were planning to do over Christmas.'

Grace looked sad for a moment. "I guess I have to go back to Whitechapel's Orphanage," she answered reluctantly.

"Well I had a different idea. Would you like to come home and spend Christmas with me and my wife?" he asked hopefully.

The child gazed up at him with innocent blue eyes and wondered if she had heard him right. A Christmas with a real family was even better than her dreams. "Oh yes, I would love to," she responded, with a smile on her face that absolutely lit up the room. And so it was settled. She would take the Hogwarts Express back to London with her friends, and Professor Lupin and his wife would pick her up at the station.

As she went down to the Great Hall for dinner, Grace received some funny looks from her class mates. Perhaps it was the wide grin that she wore, or perhaps it was the fact that she was skipping down the hallway. 'Skipping in the hallway had to be against some rule or the other,' they all thought. She made for the table that she shared with her five Gryffindor friends, and sat down in her regular place beside Sean Finnegan.

"Well what's happened to you?" the young boy asked, noticing her wide smile and cheerful manner.

"I'm spending Christmas with Professor Lupin," she exclaimed happily.

The other five children at the table grinned at each other conspiratorially, and the Longbottom twins started to giggle openly.

"What," asked Grace in confusion?

"Oh, nothing much," Sean said, mirth clearly in his voice. "It just means that the six of us will be spending Christmas together."

"What!" Grace exclaimed.

"My Mum just told me that we would be spending Christmas with Headmaster Potter and his family. My Dad is spending the holidays in Russia on Ministry business and won't be able to return until January," Sean declared happily.

"And Uncle Remus…uh, Professor Lupin is our neighbor…" Lizzie declared excitedly.

"And we all spend Christmas together at my house…" Ronnie said, interrupting his friend, even more excited.

"So that means we will all be spending Christmas together," Heather concluded in such a loud, excited voice that the entire room turned to stare at her.

Their parents, sitting at the teacher's table, smiled as they realized that their children were exchanging the news.

The six friends spent the rest of dinner laughing and talking among themselves, eagerly anticipating the coming holidays. The children from Ottery St. Catchpole told their friends all about their rural home in southern England, and what Christmas was like. Both Grace and Sean came from urban areas, and Christmas in the country sounded like something quite wonderful.

- o -

But two days later reality had set in for Grace, and it was not something that made her happy. She sat alone on the shore of the Black Lake, beneath an ancient pine tree, and watched the snow as it gently fell on the surface of the lake. The somber silence suited her mood, and she barely felt the cold. Christmas was a time for presents, and she very much wanted to give gifts to the friends that meant so very much to her. The problem was that she had no money, none at all. Even the clothing that she wore had been paid for by the school.

She knew her friends wouldn't care, and the lack of a gift wouldn't change the way they felt about her at all. But somehow that even made it worse. It was something that she wanted to do, but wasn't able to.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A soft voice asked from behind her, breaking the complete silence of the place.

Grace swung around in shock to see Madam Potter leaning against the tree truck, her eyes dreamily surveying the icy surface of the lake and the snow covered trees beyond. "I always love to come here on rainy and snowy days," Luna continued in a dreamy tone.

Then for the first time she noticed the frozen tears on the young girl's face, and took a seat on the rock by her side. "What's wrong, Grace?" she asked gently.

"It's Christmas, Madam Potter. Everyone's been so kind to me, I'd really like to give them gifts, but I can't." And then the girl lowered her head, embarrassed that she had been so forthcoming about what was troubling her. She expected the woman to give her the standard adult line that presents weren't necessary, and that her mere presence would be gift enough. She was therefore quite surprised when she received a completely different answer.

"Yes, it's nice to receive gifts from your friends," Luna said thoughtfully. "But you know I personally like to receive something that my friends made themselves, and have actually put some thought into."

"But I don't have any money at all, and I really don't know how to make anything," Grace declared.

"But that's the fun of it, using your imagination. And you really don't need money; the forest will provide everything that we'll need."

"We," Grace asked in surprise?

"Of course, I have to make my Christmas presents as well. I thought it was maybe something we could do together."

"That would be wonderful," Grace said excitedly, and they agreed to meet in the castle courtyard after class the following day.

Class had just finished for the day and Ronnie and Lizzie decided to get in a quick fly before dinnertime. They probably should have been working on their homework, but there would be time for that later they rationalized. As they walked down the snow-covered slope that led to the Quidditch pitch, Ronnie saw Madam Potter and Grace walking in the direction of the Black Lake. The two witches were bundled up warmly and each carried a small basket.

"Where do you think they are going," he asked his friend curiously.

Lizzie looked at the two witches in the distance, and she fondly remembered the excursions that she had made with her Mother a few weeks previously. A strange smile formed on her lips as she replied, "Oh, I suspect they are going Christmas shopping." She giggled at the perplexed look on her friends face, and put her arm around his back as they continued their walk.


	7. Chapter 7

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

PG – English – Romance/Adventure

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes: ** I would like to thank Lucymaypotter for allowing me use her idea for transfigured ceramic daisies from her wonderful story _Harry Potter and the Loathsome Lobster of Leeds._

**CHAPTER 7: CHRISTMAS AT THE BURROW**

Grace would always remember that particular walk in the woods, because it truly turned into a journey of discovery for the young girl. Luna Potter was like no adult that she had ever met before, having the free spirit of a child and a wisdom uniquely her own. In many ways Luna reminded the young girl of her friend Lizzie; of course being mother and daughter certain similarities were to be expected. But it was more than that; the almost inevitable barrier that separates one generation from another just didn't seem to exist for Luna Potter. Soon the woman and young girl were laughing and joking like the oldest and dearest of friends. But Luna shared a great deal of wisdom with the child as well.

Grace came to realize that the two of them had a great deal in common, and that her teacher well understood the loneliness that always had such a dominant place in the young girl's life. Luna told the girl that her own childhood had been rather lonely and isolated; just as Graces' had been. That is until she met "her Harry" and his Gryffindor friends, and that meeting had changed everything for her. Grace realized that her own Gryffindor friends were working the same kind of magic with her life; and she blushed ever so slightly when she wondered if someday Sean Finnegan and she might share a life together.

As they talked, the two strolled along the snow dusted forest paths, filling their baskets with all manner of strange objects. Luna pointed out the bark of a Silver Elm that grew along the trail, and suggested that it might make excellent craft material. Using her wand, she showed the girl how to peel off long, even strips of the silver bark; while taking great care not to damage the tree itself. This was a tricky undertaking, as they used their wands to transfigure existing bark to grow over the bare areas. They found some tiny grey acorns and some round stones from the banks of a meandering creek. Then in a sheltered hollow, that seemed warmer than the surrounding forest, they found tiny white and gold daisies that seemed to grow in spite of the winter cold. All these things and more went into their baskets.

And as her basket filled, her heart did as well. It was so nice to talk to someone who really seemed to understand her feelings. When it was time to start back Grace wished they didn't have to go; she had never enjoyed an afternoon so much in her life. But Luna reminded the young girl that they still had much work to do in preparing her "gifts" in time for Christmas. She also reassured the child that now that she had proven herself so good at spotting the forest's "treasures," they would really have to go on more walks together. That thought warmed the young girl's heart, as did the rich cocoa that Luna transfigured up for them.

Latter that day when she saw her friend Sean Finnegan standing in the hallway, she walked right up to him and boldly kissed him on the cheek. The boy looked like he had been stupefied; finally managing to ask what he had done to deserve the kiss. She boldly responded that he was her best friend and that she wanted him to know it. He reached out and took her hand and the two walked into the Great Hall together, so clearly smitten with each other that it was obvious to everyone present.

The final gifts that resulted from her forest expedition were unique and beautiful, and Grace was proud to give them to her friends when Christmas Day came.

- o -

While Narcissa Malfoy waited for her dark potion to cure properly she wasn't exactly inactive. She had learned the value of intelligence from the Dark Lord, and she directed her followers to gather all possible information about Harry Potter, his family and Hogwarts School that might prove useful.

In her years of exile she had carefully schooled her coven in the art of Legilimency, or the ability to read the minds of others; so that by the time they arrived in England all of them were experts at the skill. Realizing that knowledge was always power, she directed her followers to begin sifting through the minds of Hogsmead residents to gain any information that might later prove valuable.

Her first real success came shortly after her arrival in that small wizarding village. She was scanning the mind of its oldest living resident, Minerva Spellcaster, when she made a startling discovery. The old witch was thinking fondly of her days as a student at Hogwarts, more than a hundred years before, Minerva had frequently used a secret passageway that led from Hogwarts to the basement of a building that currently contained Honeyduke's Candy Shop. Apparently in her day Minerva Spellcaster had a reputation for mischief that would have given Fred and George Weasley some real competition. That didn't interest Narcissa Malfoy in the least, but the existence of an unguarded tunnel into Hogwarts certainly did. A little investigation showed that the passageway still existed and was not warded. Narcissa would use this hidden tunnel to gain access to the school on the night that she stole Voldemort's ashes.

At the start of the school term another valuable source of information came her way when the teaching staff returned from their summer off. Hogwarts teachers made frequent visits to the small village, doing personal shopping or seeking a restful time away from their students. While Narcissa had given instructions never to attempt to invade the minds of Harry Potter or his wife Luna, the other teachers made rather easy victims for a silent attack.

On a snowy December day, about a week before Hogwarts let out for the holidays, Narcissa saw Cho Finnegan going into the Three Broomsticks. She followed her carefully and once inside struck up a casual conversation with the unsuspecting woman. Thinking it no more than a chance meeting, Cho invited the dark-haired woman to join her as she ordered a hot Cocoa to warm up from the cold. The Hogwarts Potions instructor never realized that while they were making casual conversation her mind was being sifted for valuable information.

When Narcissa first made entry she was shocked to see an image of her daughter Grace with a dark-haired Gryffindor boy. She was kissing him fondly on the cheek and Cho was thinking how nice it was that her son's first girlfriend was a girl as sweet as Grace. The thought that her daughter, the last member of the Malfoy family, was hopelessly smitten with a Gryffindor boy was unthinkable. Then another thought entered Cho's mind. At a recent staff meeting it had been disclosed that this very same girl had requested a transfer from Slytherin House to Gryffindor. For Narcissa this was the ultimate betrayal of her class and her blood.

Her rage was almost too much to bear as she broke off her conversation with the teacher and stormed out of the tavern. The fact that the teacher was happy for the two children only made it worse; because years before Cho was one those who had helped foil the Dark Lord's plans. The confused teacher couldn't understand what she might have said to so upset the woman.

As Narcissa stormed back to the Shrieking Shack she could barely control her fury. But it was fortunate that Narcissa had broken her connection when she had, otherwise she might have learned what Harry Potter had already discovered, and what his plans were for the future.

Narcissa knew that she needed to rid her mind of the rage that threatened to overwhelm her, and she had a time-tested method of doing it. Summoning one of her followers, she ordered the witch to go out and bring back a muggle for her amusement. The woman gave her an evil smile, knowing full well what such a request meant, and hurried away to comply. Narcissa remembered fondly the revels held by the Dark Lord; where muggles were subjected to horrific tortures for the amusement of his Death Eaters. By morning her calm had returned and her followers removed the disfigured body of the unnamed muggle.

- o -

The holidays finally came and the students of Hogwarts gladly boarded the carriages that would take them to the train station for the journey home; only ghosts and a few aurors would occupy the school over Christmas. Grace would remember this ride on the Hogwarts Express, because it was so different from her previous trips. In the past the journey to and from school had been long and rather lonely affairs. She would usually sit in the corner of a compartment and enviously listen as the other children talked and laughed about home and family. Having neither, she rarely said anything and usually pretended to sleep or read.

But this trip was different. This year she was going to be spending the holidays with a happy family; albeit not her own. She and her three closest friends had found a compartment to themselves, and were talking excitedly about spending Christmas together. Heather and Holly had gone off to sit with two second-year Ravenclaw boys of whom they had become fond. As Grace glanced out of the corner of her eye at Sean Finnegan, she could certainly understand their feelings; and as he turned and smiled at her she could feel her heart beat a little faster.

Professor Lupin asked her to take the train south with her friends, and that he and his wife would meet them at the station. He said that his wife Tonks had a special surprise planned for the young girl, and Grace was very curious as to what it might be. "Tonks" was a rather strange name the young girl thought, but when Professor Lupin had introduced her at Hogwarts she seemed very nice. But there was something more than that; the girl and the young woman seemed to have an immediate connection that they both realized, but neither of them fully understood.

Some might think it rather strange for the young woman with the spiked, bubblegum pink hair to be married to a man so much older, whose hair had already gone completely grey. But Grace thought that it was a perfect match; and realized that the two were very much in love. She glanced over at Sean again. Funny, she seemed to be thinking about love an awful lot lately; in fact she never used to think about it at all. Glancing over at her friends Ronnie and Lizzie, who were holding hands and whispering softly to each other, she just guessed that they were all changing.

At that moment Sean reached over and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Feeling okay," he asked with a warm smile.

"Yes, very," she replied with a warm smile.

The rest of the journey was spent with quiet talk, some chocolate frogs and a few games of Exploding Snap; and it was her best train ride ever.

It was late in the afternoon when the red steam locomotive pulled into King's Cross Station and came to a stop at Platform 9 ¾. The students disembarked from the train into the throng of waiting parents, most of whom hadn't seen their children in almost four months. Mothers and fathers rushed forward to engulf their offspring in loving hugs that caused the children both comfort and embarrassment, especially if their friends were nearby. Once the reunion was complete they would set off to gather their scholar's baggage and then make their way home to get reacquainted over good food and family talk.

As the children from Ottery St. Catchpole disembarked, they joined the other children scanning the crowd for their parents. "There they are!" Ronnie called out as he pointed at a group of waving adults towards the front of the train. Grace immediately recognized most of them, including Professor Lupin and his wife. Walking over with her friends, she was a little surprised by the way her friends now addressed their teachers. It was Uncle Harry this and Aunt Hermione that in warm greetings that she found rather shocking.

"Good afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Lupin," she said respectfully, trying to suppress the blush she felt creeping into her cheeks. It didn't help the situation that Heather and Holly immediately broke into a fit of giggles at her method of address, or the amused looks on the faces of the other adults.

Professor Lupin kneeled down in front of the girl, a gentle smile on his face. "We have no titles here and we want none; those can wait until you return to school. Please call me Remus, or Uncle Remus if you prefer, and this is Tonks," he said as he gently guided his wife over to meet the young girl.

Tonks immediately knelt down at eye lever with Grace and gave the girl a warm hug. "Grace and I are going to be good friends; aren't we?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes," the young girl said bashfully.

Once Grace was put at her ease, the whole group walked towards the concealed exit that would take them into the muggle part of the station. Arrangements had already been made to send their trunks on to Ottery St. Catchpole. Taking special Ministry cars that had been provided as a special service to Headmaster Potter; the group drove through muggle London to the Leaky Cauldron, where they had an early dinner and exchanged stories about all that had happened since the beginning of term.

It was rather late that evening when Remus, Tonks and Grace stepped out of the fireplace into the living room of the small cottage that was the Lupins' home. Remus had gone first, prepared to catch Grace if need be, and expecting to catch his less than graceful wife. As it turned out he had to catch them both. Grace was so tired from her long day that even the adrenaline rush of her first floo trip didn't last long, and Remus had to carry the drowsy child upstairs to bed.

- o -

The next morning Grace awoke to the bright sunlight that was streaming in through the windows of her bedroom. At first she didn't want to open her eyes; everything was so warm, cozy and soft that the urge to go back to sleep was almost irresistible. Finally she managed to open just one single eye to take in her surroundings; still fighting an internal debate as to whether she should go back to sleep. What she saw caused her to open the second eye, and immediately afterwards to sit up in bed.

She was sleeping in an old-fashioned canopied bed of a honey-colored wood that she thought was oak. The white lace of the canopy over her head matched the lace curtains on the windows, and perfectly complemented the bright yellow wallpaper that covered the walls. A fire burned brightly in the small hearth opposite her bed, making the room even more cheerful. A large stuffed dragon, with purple skin and green scales, sat on the chest at the foot of the bed. He had a goofy grin, and seemed hopeful that his new mistress might want to cuddle him sometime in the near future. Some twelve-year-olds might think the room too cutesy, or hopelessly old-fashioned, but to Grace who had never had a room of her own it was perfect.

Climbing out of bed she realized that she was wearing a long flannel nightgown, which upon reflection she remembered that Tonks had helped her change into the night before. That was before Remus came in and the two of them had tucked her in for the night. And the kisses, she mustn't forget about the kisses. Both Tonks and Remus had kissed her gently on the forehead and wished her pleasant dreams; just like she was their own little girl. Grace wrapped her arms around herself and felt completely happy and safe, for perhaps the first time in her life.

Looking out the window she saw that the small cottage was indeed in the center of a large forest, just as Lizzie had told her. The trees were bare of leaves, draped in a soft blanket of pure white snow; as was the ground beneath them. As beautiful as it was at that moment, Grace thought it must be even more so in the summer, when everything was a lush green.

The young girl hurriedly dressed in the jeans and shirt she had brought with her from the school. Looking in the mirror she thought that they looked a bit shabby, but aside from her Hogwarts uniform they were the only clothing that she had. The orphanage she came from didn't believe in frills and fancies. Every child at the institution, whether boy or girl, received exactly the same thing: two pairs of jeans, two shirts, a thin jacket, shoes and appropriate under garments. But Grace was too happy to dwell on such unimportant matters, and she ventured downstairs to find the other residents of this wonderful house.

She found them in the room that served as the kitchen, but a kitchen the like of which she had never seen. It was an old-fashioned country kitchen such as was common a century before; but had long since been replaced in most homes by the sanitized steel and tile kitchens of the late Twentieth-century. This room was warm with an old brick fireplace, polished wooden floors and ancient copper pots and pans. A modern homemaker would have been appalled at the ancient cast iron stove that occupied one wall and by the bleached oak countertops that served as work areas. Grace was later to learn that Remus did all the cooking for the two, and that this was his room the way he wanted it. Tonks was much more modern, as was evidenced by the more eclectic furnishings of the lounge and dining rooms. The two had reached a meeting of the minds and had accepted each other for what they were; and they seemed extremely happy with that decision.

"Come in Grace," Remus called, as he saw her standing in the doorway.

She edged into the room hesitantly, and was greeted with a warm smile from Tonks who sat at an old oak table that filled the center of the room. She patted the chair next to her own, and invited the child to join her. As soon as she sat down, Remus placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her, along with a chilled glass of pumpkin juice.

"How did you sleep?" Tonks asked, passing the girl some toast.

"Wonderfully," Grace replied shyly, and took a piece of toast.

"That's good, because we have a big day ahead of us," Tonks replied mysteriously.

"What are we going to do?" the young girl asked impetuously, and then blushed a bit at her own boldness.

"Well you and I are going shopping in Diagon Alley while my husband is attending to some projects of his own. And then we two good-looking witches are going to meet him for lunch at a special place we know."

The girl blushed even deeper, which caused Tonks to lightly tousle her long blond hair and smile broadly.

- o -

In another part of the forest, Lizzie Potter was also just in the process of waking up. She opened her eyes to saw two soft, brown eyes looking back at her, just inches away. Her white wolf Piowackket lay on the bed beside her, his nose just inches from her own.

"Pie," she said affectionately, and laid a gentle hand on his large head. The wolf edged forward ever so slightly, and placed his muzzle just under the chin of his mistress. During the past four months she had been so busy that she had hardly thought about her faithful pet, and now she felt rather ashamed. She gently rubbed that spot behind his ears that he loved so much, and she resolved to spend as much time with him as she could. He edged a little further up in bed until he was beside her, his nose just inches from hers. Lizzie felt warm and safe; nothing could possibly be better than this.

"Lizzie, it's breakfast time," she heard her mother call out; and the young girl bounded out of bed and ran to the door, snatching up her robe as she went. Piowackket following her down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hi Lizzie," her little brother Jamie said enthusiastically as she took her place across from him. She gave him a warm smile as she reached for the platter that was heaped high with bacon. She remembered his visit of the previous night when he had came into her bedroom and confided how much he had missed her over the past months. It was at that moment when she realized how good it was to be home again.

She slipped two pieces of bacon under the table to Pie just as her Father sat a large plate of blueberry waffles in front her. Not even the house elves at school could make a better breakfast than this; even though Harry had given them Luna's recipe for blueberry waffles.

At that moment there was a knock at the back door and Ronnie Weasley walked into the kitchen. Luna and Harry never ceased to be amazed at the boy's almost supernatural ability to time his visits for just at mealtime.

"Perfect timing as usual," Harry remarked with a smile, and pointed the young boy towards his regular chair next to their eleven-year-old daughter. Lizzie passed her friend the bacon and waffles and he gratefully filled his plate, slipping yet another strip of bacon under the table to the ever watchful wolf.

"What have you two got planned for today?" Luna asked the two children with a smile. She already knew that both Grace and Sean were going to spend the day shopping at Diagon Alley, and that Heather and Holly would be spending the day with their great-grandmother. Ronnie looked over to his friend, content to let her make the plans for the two of then.

"I thought we might just like to play out in the snow," she answered, looking over at her friend hopefully.

"That would be great!" was his enthusiastically reply.

"I thought you might want to start on your holiday homework," Luna suggested thoughtfully.

Both children looked absolutely outraged about wasting the first day of their holiday on school work; that is until they saw the playful glint in Luna's eyes.

After some playful family discussion it was decided to postpone the homework until later in the holidays, and this day would be spent at play. Immediately after breakfast Lizzie got dressed in her warmest clothes and they went out to play, Piowacket and Jamie joining in the fun.

They returned about four hours later, flushed and tired after a wonderful day in the snow. Mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallow greeted them as they entered the ancient kitchen. A large platter of sandwiches followed the hot chocolate, as the children ate like hungry wolves. All except Piowacket that is, who was a hungry wolf and ate like himself.

- o -

While all this was going on at The Meadows, Grace and Tonks were making special Christmas memories of their very own. The two flooed to the Leaky Cauldron and then entered Diagon Alley. Grace had never seen the alley at Christmas time, and was really amazed at how beautiful it was. There was a light snow falling, and everything had a light dusting of the white crystals. Each shop seemed to be trying to out do its neighbor, and the narrow street was a blaze of color and lights.

Even though she hardly knew Professor Lupin's wife, she felt comfortable with her. Tonks light and easy personality, and youthful outlook on everything, immediately put the child at her ease. The two walked together down the alley, pointing out one interesting window display after another, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the season. Grace was sure she liked the display outside Quality Quidditch Supplies the most; where an enchanted broom was taking a rather frightened looking facsimile of Father Christmas on one of the wildest rides imaginable.

Tonks led the young girl into a boutique called the Pink Witch, which specialized in fashions for young witches. At first Grace was rather reluctant about trying on any of the robes, knowing full well that she couldn't afford to buy anything. But when Tonks insisted that this was part of her Christmas present, and that they were really just looking, she agreed to try on just a few. Grace had never had the opportunity to go shopping before, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience.

Tonks was also thoroughly enjoying herself as she went into full shopping mode; suggesting one outfit after another for her young girl to try on. There was something about Grace that brought out feelings in Tonks that she really didn't understand, but she understood her husband's fondness for the child.

After completing their shopping the two strolled down the alley to meet Remus at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor; Tonks carrying a small woven bag which contained their many purchases. Grace was wearing pale blue robes that they had just picked out. The young girl felt rather apprehensive as they neared their destination; knowing that her new friend had spent far too much money on her. She had tried to restrain the young woman, but Tonks would simply not be dissuaded. Now Grace was more than a little concerned about what her favorite teacher would say. She needn't have concerned herself, as Tonks and Remus had already decided to treat their young friend to several new outfits.

The girl was surprised upon entering the ice cream parlor to find it surprisingly crowded, for the chilly weather didn't seem to support sales of the traditional summer treat. What Grace didn't realize was that Florean Fortescue's establishment had become something of an institution in the wizarding world, and parents and children visited throughout the year. Remus was holding a table next to the large front window, where they could watch the shoppers as they rushed to and fro making their last minute purchases.

"Who is this glamorous and mature young witch?" Remus asked in amazement, as he stood to help the two women with their chairs.

Grace turned several shades of red, but was very pleased with the complement and the special treatment.

"It's me Uncle Remus," she responded with a shy smile.

"Grace?" Remus replied in mock shock "You look so grown up; I would have never recognized you."

The blush on the young girl's face only deepened as Tonks smiled and shook her head. "You really are a wolf, you know that?"

Remus looked at his wife with a hurt expression, which didn't quite come off, and then it quickly transformed itself into a smile. "I took the liberty of ordering for us; I hope you both like chocolate."

Both girls giggled in anticipation as Florean Fortescue himself came over to the table and placed a large chocolate sundae in front of each of his guests, which Remus had already requested. The large roly-poly man greeted them all warmly, with a special welcome for Grace. Florean Fortescue had a thick mustache, an infectious smile, and he treated his guests more like family than customers. It was that warm spirit of hospitality that had made his establishment such a resounding success, and no one left his parlor without a firm resolve to return again as soon as possible. Grace liked the warm-hearted man immediately, and the visit made the perfect end to a wonderful day.

The days leading up to Christmas Eve were equally memorable for the young girl, and for the childless adults who had taken her to their hearts. Each morning Grace came down to the kitchen early to help Remus prepare breakfast, and she loved sharing that quiet time of the morning with him. She knew that when she returned to school she would have to start calling him Professor Lupin again, but for now he was her gentle "Uncle Remus," and she wished the holidays would never end. Tonks was never fond of cooking, so she would sit at the table and talk to the two of them.

After breakfast her friends would arrive and, properly bundled up against the cold, she would join them for a wild day of play in the snow covered forest. Whether it was snowball fights, or ice skating, or Snow Quidditch, they always had a wonderful time. At lunch time they would go to whoever's house was nearest for a warm meal and hot cocoa, and then it was back outside into the snow until dinnertime.

Sean Finnegan was having as much fun as Grace. His home was in Dublin and there were few open areas near his house where he could play, and none where he could ride his broom. He had always loved his home before, Dublin being the exciting city that it was, but now he rather envied his friends the fun of living in the country. He didn't realize it, but his mother was also being caught up in the rustic magic that was Ottery St. Catchpole.

- o -

The day before Christmas dawned crisp and clear, and the level of excitement felt by the wizarding children of Ottery St. Catchpole fully matched that of muggle children throughout Britain. Christmas was a special day for the magical folk of that community, and it had become custom for all of the families to meet at the Burrow to celebrate the holiday together. Tonks asked Grace if she would wear a Cranberry red dress with white trim, which was especially in keeping with the season. The young girl was especially delighted with the selection, as that dress was her favorite. It was a bit old fashioned, but it seemed to suit the young girl; and Grace hoped that it would make her look more grown up. She also spent more than a little time wondering what Sean Finnegan would think about it, and pinned a bit of green holly to the collar to give it just the right effect.

The two girls walked down to meet Remus in the living room, and his declaration of how pretty they looked won him a kiss from his wife and a blush from Grace. He had previously shrunk their Christmas gifts down to a more manageable size, and had them stowed in a small red velvet bag. Each of them took hold of a small teapot, and they were immediately transported to an area in front of the strange house that Grace recognized as belonging to the Weasley family.

The snow had been removed from the winding path that led to the front door, and floating Christmas lanterns illuminated the way. As they walked towards the door Remus pointed to the five snowmen that stood before the front door; they had been charmed to welcome the guests and direct them to the door. One snowman, that Grace was sure was supposed to be Father Christmas, had a loud and cheerful laugh as he ushered them forward. The other snow people, who didn't seem to have the gift of speech, seemed to look at the jolly fat elf with a touch of envy. Grace and Tonks couldn't help but laugh at the thought of jealousy in the world of snow people

They were met at the front door by Hermione Weasley, who greeted them all warmly and escorted them into the already crowded living room. Grace didn't know most of the people, and shyly hung back behind Tonks.

"None of that, young lady," Remus said with a warm smile, "We're all family here." And with that he began to introduce Grace to the extended magical family that called Ottery St. Catchpole home. In a very few minutes Grace felt completely at home with the warm, friendly people. Lizzie was there with her Father, Mother and little brother; as were all her other friends. At first she was a little uncomfortable in the presence of the Hogwarts Headmaster, but that quickly disappeared when she saw how comfortable her other friends were. Tonks and Remus found them a place on a sofa near the fire, and Grace was pleasantly surprised to find that Sean and his Mother were seated there as well. Two young people exchanged shy smiles and greetings of "Happy Christmas" as Grace sat down beside him.

The cheerful mood in the room was made even more so as a sprig of Mistletoe floated around the room and settled over the head of likely victims. Ronnie had already warned Grace and Sean that this was a traditional prank of his fun-loving uncles Fred and George.

But at that moment there was a scowl on Ronnie's face, as the Mistletoe was now floating directly above his head and that of his best friend Lizzie Potter; and every eye in the room was now upon him. He knew his playful uncles well enough to know that no simple kiss on the cheek would satisfy them, so with a feeling of resignation mixed with excitement he leaned over and kissed Lizzie squarely on the lips. She returned his kiss, and a few cheers erupted when it lasted a few seconds longer than was necessary. As they pulled apart both children were blushing a bit, but smiling as well. Grace glanced out the corner of her eye at the boy sitting beside her, wondering if they would receive the same treatment.

And a few minutes later the Mistletoe did indeed float in their direction and come to a stop above their heads. Sean Finnegan was as red as a beet, and Grace wasn't far behind. He had kissed the girl before, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience; but never in front of so many people, and certainly never in front of his Mother!

Glancing across the room he saw Ronnie give him thumbs up, but it didn't allay the trepidation that he was feeling. Summoning up all the Gryffindor courage that he possessed, he leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. He felt her kissing him back, and for a moment the two of them were the only people in the entire world. After a few seconds the room erupted in cheers, and the two embarrassed children reluctantly pulled apart. But as he did so, Sean slipped his hand into Graces' and gave it a warm squeeze. It was a not so subtle move that almost everyone in the room noticed.

The exchange of Christmas gifts was the perfect end to a special evening. Lizzie and the Longbottom twins were delighted with the hair ornaments that Grace mad made for them. She had transfigured the daisies that she had found into a glossy ceramic that could be braided into their hair. For the boys she had transfigured the silver bark to the consistency of leather, and had braided the material into strikingly handsome belts.

But for Sean Finnegan she had made an additional, very special gift. She had not forgotten how brave he was in escorting her to the Slytherin dungeon each night, and she wanted him to know it. With Luna's help she had split a pretty stone she had found into a round, flat disk. Using her wand she carved the words "My Hero" onto one side and transfigured a representation of a scarlet Griffin on the other. She finished it up with a braided leather chain. Older girls might think it rather silly, but the twelve-year-old thought her gift quite handsome; and was sure that Sean would understand her feelings.

About halfway through the night Grace said she was feeling a little cold, and asked Sean if he could help her find her coat. The adults exchanged knowing glances as the two children walked towards the kitchen. They slipped out the back door, and once they were alone under the stars Grace nervously gave him the gift. At first he didn't know what to say, even blushing a bit, but then he hung it around his neck proudly and she knew he liked it. When they returned to the living room both children were blushing bright red. Perhaps it was the cold, or more likely it was the kiss that Sean had given Grace under the cold winter stars on a very special Christmas night.

As it grew late the younger children began to doze off, and their parents took them home. Lizzie and Ronnie fell asleep on the carpet in front of the great stone fireplace, and Hermione covered them with a soft blanket. They would sleep peacefully together until morning. Grace and Sean had fallen asleep on the sofa, peacefully dreaming of a wonderful Christmas, each other and the future. Glace had laid her head on Sean's chest and he had wrapped an arm around her protectively.

Cho Finnegan looked down at her sleeping son and smiled wistfully. Glancing over at Remus she said softly, "They look so cute together, don't you think?"

"Yes I do," Remus replied as he gently picked Grace up and said goodnight to the Weasleys. As they left the Burrow he said to his wife: "Our little girl has had quite a night."

There was nothing he might have said that could have pleased her more, because she realized that he was thinking exactly the same thing as she. She put her arms around him and whispered back: "Yes, she has."

In the days that followed Grace would tell Tonks and Remus all the details her latest adventure with her friends, as they explored the snow-covered forest. The two adults seem as excited about each new discovery as the child was, and indeed they were. They had waited to become parents for so long, and now it seemed that this young girl was making their dream come true. All three of them had the same secret wish, that they might somehow become a family.

But there were still difficulties. In spite of how far the wizarding world had come since the downfall of Voldemort, there was still strong prejudice against werewolves. Remus was worried that his condition might prevent him from adopting Grace. So before getting her hopes up he wanted to see what the Ministry policy was, and what problems might exist.

- o -

In the winter wonderland of their rural homes the frightening events of recent months seemed very far away, and the children of Ottery St. Catchpole could forget for a little while that they must soon return to a school infected by fear. One afternoon, when it was snowing too hard to play outside, Lizzie pulled out the drawing that she had made of her friend's rune medallion.

It was the only clue they had to the origins of their friend's origins, and might help explain her involvement with the terrible events of past weeks. But the intricate rune had stumped Lizzie's every attempt to decipher it. She took the drawing downstairs to the family's rather large library. Gathering several large books on runes, she settled down at a table by the snow-frosted window.

Three hours later, when Luna came to call her in to dinner, the young girl was still there.

"Still working on homework?" Luna asked with a smirk, knowing full well that her daughter had already finished the work assigned her.

"No," Lizzie replied somewhat absently. "Mum, will you see what you can make of this rune?" She said, handing her mother the piece of parchment.

Luna studied the parchment for several minutes, a puzzled look on her face. "Where did you get this, Lizzie?" she asked.

"It's the design on the medallion that Grace wears," Lizzie answered without hesitation.

"Is it now? And why are you trying to decipher it?"

Lizzie gave her Mother a knowing look. "Because Grace is somehow involved in what's going on at school and that rune might give us a clue as to why."

Luna looked at her daughter with a look of pride and amazement. "Making good use of you Father's old Invisibility Cloak I see."

Lizzie blushed and nodded ever so slightly.

"Well move over and we'll see what we can do," Luna said. Mother and daughter worked on the complex rune long into the evening. Harry and Jamie ended up eating alone together in the kitchen, but Harry brought in a tray of sandwiches in case the girls got hungry. Finally the two had to admit defeat, although Luna promised to check in the restricted section of the library when they returned to school. Both were convinced that the stubborn rune was a very important key, and both were now determined to decipher it.

The drive to King's Cross Station was a little bit more noisy than usual, for the new additions to the Potter and Weasley families seemed as excited as their new owners by the journey. Both Lizzie and Ronnie had received Snowy Owls as Christmas gifts from their parents. Both owls appeared identical except that one was male and one female; and they had the unique heritage of having Harry Potter's own school owl as a great-grandfather. Ronnie, following long established family tradition, had named his owl after a character in Greek mythology. At the moment Pyramus was nipping at his sister in the cage next to him, trying to declare his position of dominance over the female who had already shown that she was clearly in charge. Lizzie had named her Thisbe, and already loved her little owl dearly.

As the children of Ottery St. Catchpole boarded the Hogwarts Express for the return to school they all agreed that it had been their best Christmas ever, and this was especially true for young Grace Whitechapel. It was not because of the gifts that she had received or that she had spent the time with her friends; but for the first time in her life she felt a part of a real family. When she kissed Tonks and Remus goodbye at King's Cross Station it was not the kiss of a child for her good friends, but the kiss of a daughter for her parents. And she wanted to be their daughter, just as somehow she knew that they wanted to be her parents. But as the red steam engine left the station the happy child little realized the horror that was about to envelope her, her friends and her school.


	8. Chapter 8

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

PG – English – Romance/Adventure

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes: **My very special thanks to my friend Heather (_John Adams) _for all her help and encouragement in beta reading my story and keeping me on character. Someday I hope to be her equal as a writer.

**CHAPTER 8: DEAD OF WINTER**

The students of Hogwards School returned from their Christmas holidays with light hearts and gay spirits. This was especially true for Grave Whitechapel. Whatever her expectations of the holidays might have been, they were far exceeded by the reality of Christmas with the Lupins. She felt she was part of a family for the first time in her life, and she never wanted the holidays to end. Aunt Tonks and Uncle Remus, for that was what she called them, seemed to feel exactly the same way. It was a bitter-sweet time when she had to return to school, but Tonks had already invited her to return for spring break.

Classes had barely started when Harry called the first faculty meeting of the new year. Although fears among the students had declined somewhat, Harry had no illusion that the danger was past. He could almost sense the evil, waiting in the shadows, preparing to strike. For that reason he had made arrangements with the Ministry of Magic to send a special team of Aurors and Spellcrafters to Hogwarts over the holidays. Their mission was to strengthen the various wards protecting the school and apply a number of new charms for the protection of the students.

All tunnels leading to Hogsmead were no longer simply warded, but now were completely sealed. Charms were applied to the Great Hall so nothing dangerous could come in with the morning owl post deliveries. And a complete search of the castle was made for any secret chambers or passageways that might be a source of danger.

In the faculty meeting Harry briefed the teachers on all of these changes, and urged them to not let their guard down for a minute. Another matter requiring faculty consideration was Grace Whitechapel's request to transfer from Slytherin to Gryffindor House.

Transfer of students between houses was exceedingly rare at Hogwarts, and was only done after considerable discussion. But the child had made the request and Harry honestly believed she would be much happier in Gryffindor, so he wanted to open the subject to discussion by the entire faculty.

Both Harry and Luna felt that the transfer was best for the child, but Hermione had some serious reservations. As the head of Gryffindor House, Harry realized that her thoughts on the matter were very important.

"I'm just worried that she won't be accepted, Harry," Hermione began seriously. "She's so very shy I'm worried that she won't fit in. I'm afraid that she may become even more isolated than she is now. Also, being different, she might become the victim of teasing from the other children."

"I think you can trust our children to prevent anything like that," Cho said with confidence.

"And if you remember, Hermione, I was rather shy myself in my second year," Neville said with a smile.

She looked over at her friend and gave him a warm smile. "Yes you were, but you grew out of it."

"Yes, with the help of my very good friends," Neville replied.

"But you had the courage of a Gryffindor, Neville; and I don't think that Grace does," Hermione said with a sigh of resignation.

"I think you're wrong, Hermione." Remus said, speaking up for the first time. "I watched Grace very carefully over the holidays, and I think that if the sorting were held today the Sorting Hat would place her in Gryffindor."

"Do you really believe that?" she asked with real surprise.

"Yes, Hermione I do. I watched her play with the other children and she joined in with everything they did; and you know how wild Ronnie and Lizzie can get. I think she's a natural Gryffindor."

Harry was deep in thought; from everything that his daughter had told him Grace certainly seemed like Gryffindor material. The solution to the problem was clear. "Cho, would you please find Miss Whitechapel and ask her if she would please come to my office. I think we need to give the Sorting Hat another chance."

Cho found Grace in the Great Hall having lunch with her Gryffindor friends.

"The Headmaster would like to see you, Miss Whitechapel," Cho said gently.

"Did I do something wrong?" Grace asked hesitantly.

"No child, nothing at all. The Headmaster wants the Sorting Hat to check you for Gryffindor House," Cho responded sincerely.

"Can we come too?" Her son asked boldly, determined to support the young girl who sat by his side.

Cho smiled down at her son approvingly. 'They do grow up so fast,' she thought to herself, as she saw Grace give Sean an appreciative smile. "If it's alright with Miss Whitechapel I think it would be fine."

With that the four children followed Madam Finnegan out of the Great Hall, watched by curious students around the room.

"I see you've brought your own support team," Harry said good-naturedly, as he welcomed Grace and her friends to his office. He waved his wand and three additional comfortable chintz chairs appeared before his desk. "If you will all please be seated we will see what the Sorting Hat has to say."

Grace hopped up on the stool, suddenly concerned that things might not work out as she had hoped. But warm, supportive smiles from her friends quickly put her at her ease. Hermione placed the ancient Sorting Hat on her head and it slipped down over her eyes.

"I see there have been some changes," a soft voice in her head said. All this time Grace was concentrating on just one thing: 'Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor.' "No need to worry, child. You definitely belong in 'Gryffindor!'" And the last word the Hat announced loud and clear.

Her smile lit up the room, as did the cheers of her friends.

At dinner that night Harry Potter announced the transfer of Grace Whitechapel to her new house. At first there seemed to be little reaction at all. Slytherin students rarely spoke to the quiet girl, and were not in the least upset about loosing her. And students in Gryffindor had no idea who she was, and likewise had no reaction. But then everyone noticed cheers coming from a certain group of first-year students; and the rest of Gryffindor House were a bit surprised to see that the young children were all members of their newly victorious Quidditich team. Suddenly the rest of Gryffindor house began to applaud as well, and Grace knew she was welcome.

- o -

When Narcissa Malfoy learned that her daughter had been transferred from Slytherin to Gryffindor House her emotions quickly ran from disbelief to anger to total rage. Even her followers, hardened dark witches all, shrank back in fear as she raged through the Shrieking Shack. She regarded it as the ultimate betrayal that her own child should request a transfer to a house made up of blood traitors and Mudbloods.

She now regretted putting the charm on the medallion that Grace wore. The charm that would protect her, and her alone, from the terrible revenge that would engulf Hogwarts in just a few days. But the child would be punished, and severely so. Once her vengeance on Hogwarts was satisfied she would reclaim her daughter, and then the child's reeducation by pain would begin.

In spite of all the evidence, she had to see the betrayal for herself. Her blood was the purest in the wizarding world, as was that of her husband; it was inconceivable that her daughter would have willingly committed such an act. In the back of her mind she held out the faint hope that the child might have been the victim of some kind of coercion; that wouldn't excuse her, but it might provide an explanation.

That Saturday there was to be a Quidditch match played at Hogwarts between Gryffindor and Slytherin teams. Even though security was bound to be tight, the dark woman determined that she must attend and learn the truth. Narcissa wasn't overly concerned about increased Ministry security; she had taken great care when she established a false identity that was beyond reproach. When she first arrived in England, disguised as a muggle nonentity, she carefully researched those individuals who might be of use to her. The person that she selected had to have impeccable family connections, social position, wealth, and most important of all, she had to be a complete recluse from the rest of wizarding society.

After an extensive search she found the perfect victim. Hestia Meliflua was the last member of an old and highly respected family who chose to live alone and avoid contact with the rest of society. Late one night Narcissa paid the eccentric woman a visit at her lonely home on the Cornish coast. She quickly subdued the helpless old woman, after first killing her only servant. Using Polyjuice Potion, Narcissa assumed the woman's identity the same night. She closed up Meliflua Manor within a week and moved to Hogsmead. Hestia had been a prisoner ever since, regularly harvested for her hair to renew the potion.

After the murder of Mr. Filch, teams of Aurors visited Hogsmead and interviewed all of its residents. Narcissa passed the interview without difficulty, and had no doubts that she could do so again.

On the day of the Hogwarts Quidditch match she joined the throngs of Hogsmead residents making their way to the main gate of the school. After a brief interview by two Aurors she was passed through to the stands. Narcissa thought that she received special treatment because of her name and social position, and she took some measure of pleasure in that.

She took a seat in the Slytherin section, and using magically enhanced vision she scanned the other sections in search of her daughter. And then she saw her, seated in the Gryffindor section directly across the pitch. She was wearing the Gryffindor crest on her robes and was proudly waving a Gryffindor pennant. Narcissa rose without a word, turned her back on her daughter, and left the stadium in a cold rage.

But in her rage she didn't realize that her own coven was becoming more and more concerned about their leader. Her madness was growing more evident each day; and none of her followers wished to tie themselves to a leader who was clearly insane. They began to talk among themselves about returning to Greece alone; but they all realized that to do so would mean almost certain death, for Narcissa Malfoy was not the type to forgive such disloyalty.

- o -

A few nights after classes started, at dinner in the Great Hall, Harry noticed that Luna seemed somewhat distracted. She seemed to be concentrating rather intently upon a familiar group of students which included their daughter Lizzie and her friends.

"Knut for your thoughts?" Harry asked; curious about what was so fascinating about this group of Gryffindor children.

"Grace Whatechapel," she answered simply. "Doesn't she remind you of someone?"

Harry studied the girl for a moment: platinum blond hair, deep blue eyes, and rather pale skin. And then it hit him like a bolt of lightening. "Draco Malfoy!" he exclaimed is astonishment, wondering why he had never noticed the resemblance before.

"Yes, I think so," Luna replied with conviction.

"But how is it possible?"

"I don't know, but we need to find out. I think Grace might be the key to all of this," Luna said, a worried expression crossing her face.

Harry immediately turned and spoke to Hermione in a serious tone: "We all need to meet in my office immediately; I'll contact Tonks and Remus." Without another moments delay Harry and Luna left the Great Hall.

When Harry entered his office the murmuring of the portraits immediately ceased, and the eyes of all the former headmasters turned on the newest and youngest of their group. The former headmasters were just as concerned about the course of events as Harry was, and had spent hours talking among themselves about possible causes and about the advice that they should give the current headmaster.

After Tonks and Remus had arrived, Harry told them his suspicions that Grace might be related to the notorious Malfoy family. Hermione gave him an incredulous look. "But are you sure?" she asked, eyeing him closely.

"No, I'm not. But I'm going to have the Ministry start checking into the possibility in the morning," Harry replied.

"There might be a quicker way," Luna interjected, speaking for the first time. "What about the Sorting Hat?"

"Luna, you're brilliant!" Harry declared, and gave his wife a one-armed hug. Then he took the Sorting Hat down from its shelf and set it in the middle of his desk.

"Good evening, Headmaster," the hat began courteously.

"Good evening Sorting Hat. Could you tell us what you know about a Miss Grace Whitechapel?" Harry asked.

"Yes….originally she was a very difficult sorting, as the child really didn't seem to fit into any of the four houses. But as both of her parents were in Slytherin, I felt that she would most likely find herself in that house. It was a mistake on my part, as she is now clearly a Gryffindor."

"And who were her parents?" Harry asked, almost dreading what the answer would be.

"Why Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. I thought it rather strange that she would use the name of Whitechapel; the Malfoys' were usually extremely proud of their name and heritage. Also, she's quite unlike other Malfoys' I've sorted in the past."

"Oh, how so?" asked Tonks, intensely interested in her newly discovered cousin.

"Well, most Malfoys have certain characteristics in common that Miss Whitechapel lacks; they generally have a rather driving ambition and a certain ruthlessness."

"And yet you put her in Slytherin?" Hermione asked in wonder.

"Only because she lacked the characteristics for any of the other houses; she didn't appear to have the courage for Gryffindor, the intelligence for Ravenclaw, or the loyalty for Hufflepuff. She was like a virgin page waiting for the writing to appear."

"Do you think the child has any knowledge of her true identity?" Hermione asked Harry with concern.

"No…no, I don't think so. I think she is being used for some as yet unknown purpose, like a puppet on a string. And that brings us to the question of who might be pulling the strings." Harry answered grimly.

"A body was found shortly after the death of Voldemort that was assumed to be that of Narcissa Malfoy, but positive identification was impossible," Remus Lupin said gravely. "At the time Ministry officials simply wanted to be done with the whole affair, so I'm afraid it wasn't looked at too closely. I think it likely that some other woman now rests in the Malfoy crypt, and Narcissa was able to slip away into obscurity. It's possible, I would now say almost probable, that she has returned and now intends to seek revenge. She's not one to be underestimated, Harry. Voldemort had no more loyal servants than she and Bellatrix."

"And what about Grace?" Harry asked.

"There was no record or even suspicion that Narcissa Malfoy had given birth to a second child, but such a thing could easily be concealed. The Malfoys always sought privacy, and the birth of a daughter could have been kept secret," Remus declared.

"But why would a Mother attack her own child?" Hermione asked in amazement.

"I think I can answer that," Tonks declared bitterly. "You said Grace was cheering for Gryffindor when she was hit with the stunning spell. From what I know of my aunt, I can imagine nothing that would enrage her more. She would have regarded it as a personal betrayal."

"Is the child in danger?" Luna asked Harry with concern.

"I hope not, but I think she needs protection just to be sure."

"I think she has already found her true friends in Gryffindor House; just as I did," Luna said wistfully.

"Yes, I think she has, and I think our children will take very good care of her," Harry said with certainty.

- o -

Immediately after the holidays, Luna Potter had resumed her search through the books of the Black Family Library which were being stored in the North Tower at Hogwarts. She had a strange sense of foreboding that time was running out, and she spent more and more time with the vile books. But now there were two objects to her search. First, she continued to search out potions that required the ashes of a dark wizard. But now she was also trying to decipher the strange rune depicted on Graces' necklace. Somehow she felt that they were both bound together.

Later that week, after a long and fruitless search through the dark and revolting books, Luna was ready to call it quits for the night. She sat at one of the work tables, absently doodling on a piece of parchment trying to decide if she wanted to grab a bite to eat first or go straight to bed. She was really exhausted, but knew she hadn't eaten since early that morning and really should. Then she glanced down at her doodle and all thoughts of food and sleep vanished from her mind in a blinding flash of recognition. She had been drawing the same complicated rune over and over again, trying to jog her memory as to what it might mean, and had only just started the latest version. But in the partly completed doodle she recognized a rune that she knew. And then it hit her in a flash of realization: the medallion wasn't a single rune, but several runes layered one on top of another.

Fatigue was forgotten and she was possessed by a sudden burst of energy. Grabbing a sheet of fresh parchment she began to try and separate the multiple symbols. Then she remembered with a touch of embarrassment that she was a witch, and didn't have to do such things by hand. She took out her wand and waved it over the original drawing, mumbling a simple separation spell. The single rune disentangled itself on the parchment to become three separate runes.

As Luna studied the runes she realized that they were ancient Persian, in a dialect that had not been used for twenty-five centuries. The first rune, and the one that she had recognized, was a protective symbol that was still in use in the Middle East. That was probably the reason that she recognized it, because ancient Persian rune dialects were certainly not her specialty. The second rune appeared to be a "trigger," or a rune designed to cause something to happen. The final rune was a mystery, but it had the appearance of being the proper name of a place or a person. It was late that night when Luna identified the mysterious third rune as the symbol of the Greek city state of Sestos, located in the northeast corner of Thrace. Little was known about the city except that it had been destroyed by a terrible plague in ancient times. Somewhere she had seen a reference to Sestos, but she couldn't remember where.

But she was too close to an answer to give up now, and she began to search the books exclusively for references to Sestos. When she was nearly ready to give up she found what she was looking for in a hand-written tome more than a thousand years old. From the minute she began to read the entry she knew that she had discovered the terrible truth of what was planned for the children of Hogwards. She grabbed up the book and ran from the library, praying that they could find a way to stop it.

- o -

Harry turned away from the pile of scrolls on his desk and looked out the window wistfully. He wished he and Luna were home right now, enjoying the peace of their rural cottage. The terrible events of the previous fall had resulted in a daily deluge of letters from nervous parents. Harry felt he needed to respond to each letter to give the parents every assurance that their children were being well cared for and protected. Just as Albus Dumbledore before him, Harry regarded his position as a very special trust. He knew that Luna felt the same way; and he knew that at that very moment she was working among the books of the Black Library, trying to find anything that would help.

At that moment the door of his office was thrown open and Luna rushed in, distress evident in her face. As Harry looked at her he saw an emotion in her eyes that he had never seen before, and that emotion was fear. In all the years that they had been together he had never known her to show fear, not even when confronted by Lord Voldemort and certain death.

She ran into her husband's arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. Harry held her tightly and tried to calm her down, completely at a lost to know what could possibly cause such distress. For several minutes she stood holding him tightly with her eyes closed, as her tears slowly abated and her calm returned. He was more than just her husband and the father of her children; he was her best friend, her hero, and the one person who would always be there for her. She knew that, and in that knowledge her own courage returned.

"I know what it is. I know what Narcissa intends to do," Luna said, visibly trembling. "Our children, Harry, she intends to use our children!" And for the first time Harry understood her fear; it was not for herself, it was fear for the children.

He led her to the sofa and sat down beside her, not releasing her hand for a moment. "Tell me," was the only thing he said.

She opened a large black tome and laid it on the table before them, and then in measured words she began to tell Harry the story Sestos, and its terrible fate.

"Twenty-five centuries ago the most powerful man in the world was a ruthless Persian king by the name of Xerxes. He ruled over an immense empire that stretched from India to Egypt, and encompassed almost the entire civilized world. However, he didn't control the small city states of Greece, and that fact was like a thorn in his side.

He finally reached the point where he could stand it no longer, and he sent his great army westwards to prepare for an invasion. Knowing full well that resistance to his army was suicide, Xerxes sent ambassadors to each city demanding that they open their gates and surrender. Realizing that resistance was hopeless, most of the Greek cities in Asia Minor surrendered one by one.

But when he reached the city of Sestos he found the gates closed and the walls manned with soldiers. Sestos was not the largest city state, but it was one that greatly prided itself on its freedom, and it was not about to surrender to anyone. Xerxes could of course have taken the city by siege, but he regarded their refusal to surrender as a personal insult. He was determined to make an example of the city that was so terrible, that resistance to his advance would completely crumble.

He called upon his court wizard, an individual named Durius, who was known to practice the very darkest of dark magic. Xerxes wanted the destruction of Sestos to be so terrible that people would talk about it for a thousand years, and shudder at the thought. The potion that Durius developed would accomplish exactly what Xerxes wanted. The wizard developed a terrible potion, whose prime ingredients were the blood of a freshly sacrificed muggle and the ashes of a powerful dark wizard. The effect of the potion was to turn the children of the city into blood thirsty demons, intent on killing everything that crossed their path. In an insane rage they would first destroy their parents, and then each other; leaving Sestos a city of corpses.

Early on a spring day Durius released the potion outside the walls of the city, so the gentle winds would carry it over the city like a black fog. The wizard then drew his wand and activated the potion, and screams from the city started immediately afterwards. The Persian troops outside the walls fled in fear from the terrible screams, believing that demons from Hell were loose within the town. No Persian army ever entered Sestos, Xerxes made sure of that; the effects on his troops would be too demoralizing. Instead, he sent the Greek prisoners into the city to see the results of the wizard's work. They came out changed men, for they had looked into the mouth of Hell. They had the hollow, staring eyes of the dead; and the Persian soldiers said that Xerxes had killed their souls. Xerxes ordered that they be released to return to their homes, to tell of the horror that they had seen. Instead of weakening resistance, it caused it to strengthen; because no Greek would ever surrender to a monster who would commit such an act. The wizard Durius died shortly afterwards, taking his terrible secret with him. It was said that the gods had struck him down for his terrible act. Xerxes himself died within a few weeks under mysterious circumstances, and the Persian army immediately returned home. The terrible potion was never used again,' Luna concluded sadly. "But I'm certain Narcissa wants to use it now."

As Harry listened to her words his heart sank in the realization that she was probably right. But his brain still rejected the idea that anyone could do such a terrible thing to children.

"But Lu, you can't be certain," Harry said in desperation; hoping to give Luna just a little bit of hope.

"Harry, I am certain," she replied as tears began to roll down her cheeks, and she buried her head in her husband's chest.

"Then we'll stop her!" He said with grim determination, holding Luna tighter. Both were thinking of their daughter Lizzie, who at that moment was peacefully sleeping in Gryffindor Tower.

When they had both managed to gain control of themselves they put in immediate floo calls to the Minister of Magic, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and the heads of the four school houses. Soon the office was crowded with grim-faced people listening in horror as Luna recounted her tale.

"We must close the school at once and send the children home," was Hermione's immediate response.

"But that won't do any good, they would just use the potion somewhere else, perhaps London or some other population center," Tonks responded. "The number of people affected could be much larger."

"But they're our children," Hermione declared, tears forming in her eyes.

Luna moved her chair next to her friend, and took hold of her hand, squeezing it ever so slightly. Hermione looked into the sad eyes of her friend and knew that they must stand together on this. "I'm sorry, I'm better now."

"We're all afraid, Hermione," Harry said kindly. "We need your help to stop this from happening."

"Couldn't we modify the wards protecting the school to block airborne potions from getting onto the grounds?" Neville asked, trying to put forward a positive suggestion.

"Yes…yes, that's possible," Hermione answered, gaining a measure of control over her emotions. "And we better put the same kind of wards on the water supply. I seem to remember a purification spell that I read somewhere that, when combined with a protective ward spell, might do the trick."

Luna gave her friend a grim smile. "I'm glad you're on our side, Hermione."

She gave her friend a slight smile; Luna always managed to say something that made people feel better, even at the worst of times.

"Fine then, tomorrow morning at nine let's all meet again to discuss any new ideas. Arthur, can you have your team of Spellcrafters present as well, they might be able to suggest some other precautions that we can take?" Harry asked.

They were all tired as they left the office, to return home or to beds in the castle. Harry and Luna got little sleep that night, but they knew that everything was being done that could be done.


	9. Chapter 9

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

PG – English – Romance/Adventure

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes: **My very special thanks to my friend Heather (_John Adams) _for all her help and encouragement in beta reading my story and keeping me on character.

**CHAPTER 9: THE SHRIEKING SHACK**

It had been many years since Narcissa Malfoy had been truly happy. The death of her husband and son, and even more important the destruction of the Dark Lord, had taken all joy from her heart. But at this moment she was supremely happy, almost giddy in fact. As she carefully packed the container of dark-colored potion into the small casket she wore a wicked smile. The hour of her revenge was almost at hand.

'Tomorrow will be a day that Hogwarts will never forget,' she thought to herself. But then she looked down at the small casket appraisingly, and realized that it was not quite right. She waved her wand and a sheet of old parchment flew off a nearby table and neatly wrapped itself around the box. With another flick of her wand the parchment was transfigured into sparkling, Slytherin-green wrapping paper.

Narcissa then called down her raven-black Eagle Owl from its perch nearby. It landed in front of her and folded its great wings against its body, awaiting the orders of it's mistress.

"And how are you my pretty birdie," she cooed to the huge owl. "I have a very important delivery for you. I want this package delivered to Grace Whitechapel in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School first thing in the morning. I want you to enter the hall with the other post owls…"

At that moment the owl made a loud and rather unpleasant sounding hoot and ruffled his black feathers angrily.

"I know, my pretty bird, you don't like to associate with common owls, but tomorrow it is necessary for my purposes." The large owl lowered his head in silent submission; he would let the will of his mistress guide him as it had so many times in the past.

- o -

The ceiling of the Great Hall was a bright Robin's Egg Blue as the students settled down to breakfast before their first class of the day. Ronnie, Lizzie and Sean sat discussing the next quidditch game that they were soon to play against Hufflepuff, working out details of some new plays that they wanted to incorporate into their strategy. Heather and Holly were smiling shyly at two second-year Ravenclaw boys, with whom they had become friends. And Grace was simply enjoying the feeling of comradeship as she sat at the warm and friendly table.

Cho had been rather concerned when she learned that the girl her son liked was the sister of the notorious Draco Malfoy; whom she remembered all too well from her own school days. The Malfoy family had a reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty second to none in the wizarding world, and that fact frightened Cho. But Grace was unlike any Malfoy that she had ever known before; the child was completely sweet and innocent. At that moment she saw Ronnie and Lizzie start to laugh, and both Sean and Grace began to blush furiously. The two children were just too cute together, and Cho couldn't help but be happy for them.

Suddenly a flock of more than a hundred owls poured in through the upper windows of the Great Hall. They swooped low over the children's heads as they dropped off letters, newspapers and packages. Grace was rather surprised when a large, black Eagle Owl glided majestically down and gently dropped a package in front of her. She had received several letters from Tonks, but this owl was not hers, and neither was the sharp and angular handwriting on the package label.

From the Teacher's Table, Luna saw that Grace was opening a package, and a feeling of dread came over her. "Harry!" she said sharply, the fear evident in her tone.

Harry had just turned to look when a column of black and purple smoke swirled upward towards the enchanted ceiling. Screams rent the room as children fled away from the effected table, stumbling over each other and the chairs in an effort to escape the sudden peril. Some younger children, caught in the stampede, screamed in pain as older students fell on them. The prefects tried to control the panic, but had little effect on the frightened students, and were swept towards the doors with the others. The column of sinister black smoke, upon reaching the ceiling, began to spread in all directions, threatening to engulf the entire room.

Harry, Luna and Hermione immediately pulled out their wands and cast containment charms on the smoke. Beams of milky white light shot out of their wands and circled themselves around the expanding cloud like mummy wrapping. The other teachers, after their initial shock, quickly added their own charms to the effort. The smoke, almost like a living being, struggled to resist all efforts to control it. But as more and more magic was applied to it, the cloud stopped expanding and began to slowly contract. Tonks and a team of aurors burst through the doors, and quickly appraising the situation, added their own restraining charms. The strength of their combined magic began to constrict the deadly cloud, as the size of the column began to reduce. It was almost as if their combined magic was slowly strangling an enormous black serpent. Finally they were able to force it back into the small box from which it had escaped. Harry quickly placed a securing charm on the box, and the immediate threat was over. The whole battle had lasted only matter of seconds, but it seemed much longer.

It was only then that the teachers were able to survey the chaos in the room, and start to calm the panicking children. Using a magically enhanced voice, Harry called for calm as the teachers and prefects spread around the room to help the injured. More than thirty students were immediately taken to the Hospital Wing, while Hagrid and Professor Flitwick led the uninjured children out to the courtyard where they could breathe fresh air.

Cho and Luna scanned the room looking for their own children, and saw them standing against the wall looking quite shaken. Ronnie was holding Lizzie protectively, stroking her hair, and Sean was trying to calm a frightened Grace. Both parents went over to their children and directed them to the Hospital Wing with the others. They had been in closest proximity to the smoke, and although they looked uninjured, they needed to be checked out.

After the room was emptied and the injured attended to, the teachers assembled around Harry to await further instructions. "Cho, I need to know what that smoke was, and what effects it might have on anyone who breathed it."

"I'll help you, Cho. I think I might know what it is," Luna volunteered, giving Harry a worried look.

"Hermione, please contact the Ministry at once and advise them of what has happened. Tell them we'll forward a report on the children's condition as soon as Poppy finishes her examination. I want us to all meet in my office in two hours, and we need some answers by then."

Two hours later Harry's office was crowded with concerned individuals waiting to update him and the Minister of Magic on exactly what had happened. As always, Harry's first concern was the children, so it was decided that Poppy Pomfrey would go first. Harry also knew that even with the healers that St. Mungo's had sent, she was needed in the Hospital Wing to keep things organized.

"We were very fortunate this morning, as none of our children were seriously injured," she began, the strain evident in her blue-grey eyes. "We've had a couple of broken bones and some cuts and bruises, and two girls are still suffering from mild shock. The smoke itself seems to have had no effect at all."

"None at all?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"No, it appears that it was completely benign."

Harry was more than a little perplexed by this, but turned to Professor Flitwick for his report on the students currently out of doors.

"Most of them are still outside enjoying the surprise holiday you gave them, Harry. Hagrid brought up a young unicorn that he has been raising, and they seem to be having a wonderful time. The House Elves are arranging that lunch be served on the grass, picnic-style. None of them seem to realize that we were attacked; they all seem to believe that it was just a bad joke. I heard two boys talking that they were going to order their own 'boxes of smoke' from Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. That is what the students are calling it: a 'box of smoke.'"

Harry was smiling ever so slightly as he turned to Cho and Luna for their report. "And what exactly was in the 'box of smoke?'"

Cho glanced over to Luna, allowing her to speak for the two of them. "It was the potion that I talked to you about, the one that was used to transform the children of Sastos."

"What happened to it? Why didn't it work?" Harry asked in both relief and confusion.

"It needed a trigger charm to activate, and it didn't have one," Luna said simply, as she held up a medallion on a fine chain. "This was the trigger. I asked Grace if I might have it to check it out, and it wasn't in the hall at the time of the attack."

"But how could such a dangerous potion get into the school in the first place, why didn't the protective wards stop it," Hermione asked, directing her question to Tonks.

"The potion wasn't a dangerous substance when it crossed the wards; it still isn't dangerous in point of fact," Tonks replied, somewhat embarrassed. "Apparently Narcissa found a hole in our security."

"Well I should say so. What are we going to do about it?" Hermione asked.

"All mail will be inspected before it enters the school. Anything dangerous, or even an unknown substance, will be intercepted," was Tonks' hasty reply.

- o -

As she paced the parlor of the Shrieking Shack, Narcissa Malfoy was in a fine rage. Once again Harry Potter had thwarted her plans, and now she would be forced to play the roll of hare to the hounds that would soon be pursuing her. But if she couldn't have her revenge against the entire wizarding world, she was still determined to take down Harry Potter and his friends. Like all good people they had the fatal weakness of the love that they felt for their children, and that would be the avenue of her revenge. 'Destroy the children and you destroy the parents,' she thought with a wicked grin.

Narcissa was never terribly good at spur of the moment planning; she always preferred to think things through and consider all the possible eventualities. But there would be no time for that now; she would have to strike fast. With her failed attack on Hogwarts the aurors would be hot on her trail, and it was only a matter of time before they discovered her secret identity.

Her thoughts couldn't have more prophetic, for at that very moment the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was working night and day developing detailed profiles of all magical folk living within a five hundred kilometer radius of Hogwarts School. If this search failed to identify the perpetrator, then the head of that department was fully prepared to extend the search area to a thousand kilometers, and if necessary five thousand. But no matter what, the perpetrator would be found.

The profile of Hestia Meliflua flagged her for immediate attention. The fact that a long-time resident of Cornwall had suddenly closed up her house and move to the village of Hogsmead roused immediate suspicion.

But time had already run out, for at that very moment Narcissa was writing a letter that was destined to bring her daughter to her; as well as her daughter's closest friends

'_Dear Grace_,' she wrote, and then paused to look at the name with contempt and distain. She hated the name that the muggles had given her daughter; it struck her as being terribly weak and frail. She had named her child Lucia, after her own grandmother. It was a strong name, with long ties to those who practiced the dark arts; and her daughter would soon carry it again.

'_Dear Grace_,' she resumed. _'I have been kept away from you for far too long, Daughter. I need to see you immediately on a matter of great importance. Come to see me Saturday morning at the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmead. Tell no one about this message. Do not fail me, Daughter, or all will be lost!'_ And then she signed the note simply: '_Your Mother_.'

Narcissa then put a charm on the scroll so that anyone who touched the parchment could not divulge its contents to any adult. The same charm, however, allowed the reader to trust their closest friends with the information. In this way Narcissa hoped to not only bring her Daughter into her reach, but also the children of her enemies. She felt sure that impulsive Gryffindors' would not allow the child to come alone, but would insist upon accompanying her.

Realizing that Owl Posts would be carefully watched, she placed a Blood Charm on the scroll, so that it would seek out the one person in Hogwarts Castle that shared Narcissa Malfoy's blood. Such was the beauty of a Blood Charm, that until it reached the destined person it would not be visible to human eyes. Then she took the scroll into Hogsmead, seeking a teacher or student who would unknowingly carry her summons into the school, where the charm would take over. She saw Hagrid just leaving the Three Broomsticks, and quietly planted the scroll on him. He would be her unknowing accomplice in contacting her Daughter.

- o -

Grace and her three friends were sitting at a table in the library that evening, each of them trying to finish their homework so their weekend would be free. Suddenly a silver scroll appeared in front of the young girl. All four children looked at the scroll with a good deal of apprehension, remembering the terrible events that had occurred in the Great Hall just two days before.

"Would you like me to open it?" Sean said gently, rousing Grace from her thoughts.

She smiled at her friend warmly; she always knew he was a true Gryffindor. But she was now a Gryffindor as well, and was determined to be worthy of her new house.

"No, I'll do it," she said firmly. She reached out carefully and picked up the scroll and broke the wax seal to unroll the parchment. As she read the contents her eyes grew wide in amazement. Disregarding the instructions contained in the message, she passed the parchment over to her friends.

There was quiet for several minutes until Lizzie broke the silence. "I think we should show this to my Father," she said gravely.

"No! I know it's from my Mother, and she asked that I not tell anyone." Then, seeing the doubtful looks on the faces of her friends, she added: "She may be in trouble, I have to do as she asks." She really didn't know what made her take such a firm stand, because she trusted her teachers completely, but it was just something that she had to do.

"Well if that's the way that it has to be, we'll go with you," Sean said with determination.

Grace never really appreciated her friends as much as she did at that moment.

"How can we get out of school without being seen?" Sean asked doubtfully.

"The Invisibility Cloak!" Ronnie and Lizzie declared together, grinning at each other. Then they told the other two about the Invisibility Cloak that was safely stored in the trunk at the foot of Lizzie's bed.

- o -

When Saturday morning came the four friends were ready for their great adventure. They little realized that before the day was over they would be tested to a level that few witches or wizards ever had been.

After breakfast they made their way down the snow covered slope to Hagrid's hut. They slipped behind the stone building and covered themselves with the Invisibility Cloak. Even walking hunched over they realized that their feet were still showing, not to mention the tracks they were leaving in the snow, but those were just chances that they would have to take.

Their plan was to enter the Forbidden Forest near Hagrid's hut, and using the vegetation for cover, make their way to the road leading to Hogsmead. Keeping just inside the tree line they reached the road undetected, and struck out in the direction of the small wizarding community. The wards that protected the school were designed to keep intruders out, but did nothing to prevent students from sneaking out. Their parents had taken Ronnie and Lizzie to Hogsmead frequently when they were younger, and they were confident that they could find the Shrieking Shack once again.

- o -

At the same time Harry and Luna were meeting with Tonks in the Headmaster's Office. As Senior Auror, Nymphadora Tonks was briefing Harry on the government's efforts to locate and capture Narcissa Malfoy.

In the middle of the presentation Luna stiffened in the chair next to Harry's and grabbed his hand.

"Luna?" he asked with concern.

"Something's wrong, Harry," she responded gravely.

At that moment Hermione Weasley entered the office, a look of real concern evident on her face.

"I can't find the children anywhere," Hermione said in distress.

Harry immediately knew what children she was referring to, and shared her concern. He turned immediately to his wife and asked: "Can you locate Grace?"

Luna nodded solemnly and pulled out her wand. She spoke a simple Wingardian Levosa spell that suspended her wand floating in the air. Then she whispered a tracking spell and the wand began to spin slowly around. After several revolutions the wand came to a stop pointing southeast, in the direction of Hogsmead.

Only Harry knew that when Luna removed the old charms from Graces' medallion after Christmas, she had added a tracking spell as an extra precaution. Now Luna realized that Grace had left the school grounds, and was moving in the direction of Hogsmead.

"She's going to Hogsmead, and the others must be with her." Luna declared, using a power that only a mother seems to possess.

"Let's go!" Harry shouted, and he bolted from his desk grabbing his broom in the process.

Luna, Hermione and Tonks all simultaneously shouted "Acco brooms" as they followed Harry out the door and ran down the spiral staircase. From the faculty wing, three brooms shot out of different rooms and sped down the hallway. They rocketed down the stairs to the main entrance where they would meet their owners; dodging surprised students as they went.

Running down the hallway the teachers were joined by Remus Lupin and Neville Longbottom, who realized the urgency of the situation without a word being spoken. Within seconds all six friends were in the air and on their way to Hogsmead. In the air Luna shouted out: "The Shrieking Shack!" The six friends adjusted their course slightly and put on every bit of speed that they could manage.

- o -

Ronnie and Lizzie had visited Hogsmead often with their parents when they were younger, and were able to guide their friends to the Shrieking Shack without being seen by any of its residents. They both still had a bad feeling about the whole thing, but they were certainly not going to abandon their friend. They stayed to the woods that surrounded the village, and finally caught sight of the derelict looking house at the edge of the woods ahead of them.

As they approached the front door the four children moved slower and slower, as their level of apprehension grew. Grace especially was in a quandary; she desperately wanted to believe that she had a mother who loved and cared about her, but she was beginning to have a bad feeling about this. She was glad to have her friends around her, but she didn't want to lead them into danger.

About twenty feet from the door Grace came to a sudden stop and the others looked at her questioningly. She had reached her decision; she wasn't going to risk the lives of her friends, no matter what.

"Let's go back. I've changed my mind," she said seriously.

Just as they were turning to leave the front door to the house opened, and a tall woman stepped out onto the porch. She had long, streaming blond hair, a pale complexion, and was wearing a long white dress. She looked remarkably like Grace, only older.

She looked at the children warmly and said: "Welcome my Daughter."

"Mama?" the child asked hopefully, as the woman opened her arms to the child in welcome. "Mama!" Grace screamed, and ran into her Mother's waiting arms.

Narcissa had wanted to meet her Daughter like this, looking as she had so many years before. She had ceased to take the Polyjuice Potion the previous night, and now looked the same as she had the last time that she had held her daughter eleven years before.

The other children were still uneasy, but allowed Graces' Mother to escort them into the parlor of the old house. "I see you have disobeyed me and brought your friends….I'm glad," she said with a sneer. She closed the door behind them and whispered a locking charm. Grace didn't notice it, but the other children heard the bolt snap into place. Lizzie and Ronnie exchanged concerned glances, and both could see that Sean was worried as well.

"Won't you be seated," she instructed more than offered, the honey sweetness now gone from her voice. She was still smiling, but there was something about her smile that sent a chill down the children's spines. The four sat down close together on a large, overstuffed sofa near an ancient marble fireplace. Even Grace now realized that things were not quite right with the woman, as she looked at the children with eyes that could best be described as hungry. If the children had ever seen a vampire, they would have recognized that look immediately. Grace reached her hand out slightly and laced her fingers into Sean's.

"I'm so glad you all came," the woman began in a gloating tone, "I can always depend on Gryffindor recklessness. It has saved me the trouble of hunting you down."

"What do you mean?" Grace asked in alarm.

"Why you've delivered your friends to me child, just like I was hoping you would."

"But why Mother? Why are you doing this?" Grace pleaded.

"For revenge, foolish child, revenge against the enemies of our blood and our class. And when your friends are dead I will have my revenge."

"No!" Grace shouted, and stood up defiantly before her Mother.

"Come over here and stand beside me, Daughter!" Narcissa ordered, her voice rising ominously. "Do not stand with the enemies of our blood."

"No!" the young girl shouted, and stepped back from the woman towards her friends.

"How dare you defy me," Narcissa screamed. "I am your Mother you ungrateful child. You will stand by my side while I take my revenge!"

"You're not my Mother, and I won't let you hurt my friends," Grace spat out defiantly, and drew her wand. Her friends drew their own wands at the same moment, and moved forward to stand beside Grace. The young Irish boy reached down to take his friend's hand.

"Acco wands," Narcissa screamed, and the four wands were ripped from the children's hands, flying across the room and into Narcissa's hand. "Very well, then I have no daughter, and you will be the first to feel my rage." But as she aimed her wand Sean stepped forward in front of Grace, shielding her with his own body.

"How noble, Gryffindor bravely to the very end I see," Narcissa said with contempt. "Very well boy, the you will go first."

But then Grace eased up close beside her friend, putting her arm around his back, and spat words of defiance that would push her Mother to undisguised fury.

"I'm Gryffindor too!" Grace declared bravely.

Narcissa saw her words as a personal betrayal of her class and her blood. "Very well, then the two of you shall die together."

But as she pointed her wand at the two young children the wall behind her suddenly exploded inward, knocking all of them to the floor. It was strange that at that moment both boys had the same identical thought; that being to protect the girl whose hand each of them held. Ronnie swiftly moved over to cover Lizzie with his own body, as Sean did the same for Grace.

At the moment of the explosion, chunks of plaster and wooden splinters were propelled across the room. Swirling dust and smoke effectively obscured the room as everyone ducked for cover. Ronnie looked up just in time to see a beam of green light pass inches above his head. At that moment the children heard yet another explosion, followed by angry screams and the sounds of spell fire.

Ronnie and Lizzie knew instinctively that a battle had been joined, and that they needed to get out of their very exposed position.

"Behind the sofa," Lizzie whispered loudly. The red-headed boy understood immediately, and passed the information back to Sean and Grace. Staying as low as possible, the four children began to crawl in the direction of the invisible piece of furniture; red and green beams of spell-fire crossing the room in all directions.

As they reached the relative safety of the sofa the sounds of battle became louder, and it was evident that additional combatants had entered the conflict. Random spells repeatedly struck the wall above their heads, sending down a never ending shower of dust and plaster. Every time a curse hit the sofa it would jump like a wounded animal, and the four could only pray that it would withstand the next impact without crumbling.

Lizzie heard an interior door burst open, the sounds of running feet, and a woman screaming in a language that she did not understand. From where she was hidden, Lizzie could see shadowy figures moving about the room, and streaking beams of red and green light.

"Killing curse," Ronnie whispered into her ear, as a green beam of light came from a dark figure not far away. Ronnie was crouched above her watching the battle, shielding her from the worst of the falling plaster. Lizzie knew what his words meant: that the person who fired the spell was an enemy, because their parents would never use a killing curse. At that moment the shadowy figure was hit by a red stunning spell, and fell to the ground unconscious.

"That's one down," Ronnie whispered fiercely.

Then Lizzie heard something that made her heart soar; the sound of her Father's voice as he cast three quick stunning spells. Immediately afterwards she heard a scream and the sound of a body hitting the floor. Peering out from behind the sofa a little further the two friends saw a dark robed figure lying on the ground not two meters away.

But then Lizzie saw something even more important next to the body. "Ronnie, a wand!" she whispered urgently, and pointed into the room. And indeed it was one of the wands that Narcissa had taken from the children upon their arrival; dropped to the floor in the heat of battle. But how to get it was the problem that confronted the two.

As they looked around for something to reach out with, Ronnie noticed a piece of broken wooden molding about a meter from where they lay. "Move over," he whispered, and carefully crawled over his friend. Stretching out as far as he could, and ignoring the spells that were passing so close, he just managed to grasp the stick with his finger tips. Then hastily retreating to the cover of the sofa, he reached out and began trying to rake the wand back to them. Lizzie was jammed between his body and the wall, and was whispering her encouragement of his efforts.

Ronnie was finally able to get the wand within reach and grasped it, realizing at once that it belonged to his friend. "It's yours," he whispered, and handed the wand to Lizzie. Then he backed up to resume his protective position crouching above her. This kind of battle was far beyond their abilities, but it made them feel much better to have the little bit of power that the wand represented.

A moment later they heard Narcissa Malfoy scream: "The children…the children. Find them….Kill them!"

The two saw a dark shadow moving towards them and heard a woman's voice reply, "Yes, Mistress!" Lizzie raised her wand and carefully aimed it, feeling Ronnie beside her as he held his breath. Then she mumbled the Bat-Bogey Hex that she had learned so well when she was nine-years-old.

The woman screamed in pain and fell to the floor, trying to scratch the bat-bogies from her face. A moment later a red stunning spell hit her and she was still. "Good shot," Ronnie whispered into Lizzie's ear, and gave her a wide grin.

Suddenly a dark figure dove for the cover of the sofa behind which they were hiding. Lizzie's first instinct was to hex the intruder; that was until she realized that the figure had pink hair.

"Aunt Tonks?" Lizzie whispered excitedly.

Tonks raised her head in surprise and looked into the faces of four rather shocked young children. A wide grin spread across her face as her eyes immediately sought out those of the young blond girl who was holding on tightly to Sean Finnegan. She felt a sense of pride that the faces appeared shocked and surprised, but did not show any fear.

"I was wondering where you four had gotten to; it's a nice cozy spot you've got here," she said grinning, as she fired off a couple of quick stunners over the arm of the sofa. "You four are in sooo much trouble; but I must admit you did help start a lovely little war…It's just like the good old days," she added with a smirk.

"How much trouble are we in?" Ronnie asked with a degree of trepidation.

"Let's just say that I heard your Mother mention: 'Grounded for life.'" She replied with a grin.

Ronnie winced, knowing full well that his Mother would do it.

"You four stay put; I need to find a better position." And then Tonks added reassuringly, "This won't last much longer.

Narcissa realized that the battle was lost; and that most of her coven had already been cut down. She was firing spells in rapid succession at multiple shadowy targets, but the agility of her adversaries amazed her. She didn't think that she had achieved a single clean hit, and her enemies were rapidly closing in. She backed into a corner of the room, firing spells as she went, and ducked out the door into a narrow hallway.

She immediately tried to escape by apparating out of the house, and was shocked when nothing happened. She realized with a touch of bitterness that Harry Potter must have put Anti-Apparation Wards around the house when he arrived. Her only chance now was to get outside the wards and apparate away.

She ran down the hallway to the back of the house, and through the door that led outside. She rushed down several rickety steps into what once was a garden, now badly overgrown with weeds.

Just as she began to think she might make it she heard a voice behind her shout: "Stop!"

Narcissa skidded to a stop, turned quickly and leveled her wand. She was immediately hit full in the chest by two stunning spells which propelled her body backwards into a bank of snow-covered weeds. Harry and Luna had seen their last opponent flee through the door at the rear of the parlor, and guessed that she was making a bid to escape. They exited through the enormous hole in the wall that they had made upon their arrival and had dashed around the house to intercept the fleeing Narcissa Malfoy.

Now the last Death Eater lay unconscious in the snow, a tiny trickle of blood flowing from the side of her alabaster face. Several aurors apparated onto the scene and took her into custody, binding her with magical restraints. Other aurors were searching the house and rounding up other members of her coven.

But Harry and Luna could only think about getting to their child. As they reentered the house Lizzie ran into her Mother's arms and hugged her tightly. There would be time later to talk about what had happened, but now the only thing they wanted to do was hold their child tightly. As Harry looked up he saw Cho and Hermione holding their sons protectively, and not too surprisingly Grace was hugging Tonks and Remus with all her strength. They all realized how really fortunate they had been that no one had been seriously hurt.


	10. Chapter 10

**LIZZIE'S FIRST YEAR**

Author: Luckner

PG – English – Romance/Adventure

**Disclaimer:** The characters and their world are the property of J.K. Rowling, various publishers and Warner Bros. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.

**CHAPTER 10: HAPPILY EVER AFTER**

Upon their return to school the four children were immediately taken to the Hospital Wing so Madam Pomfrey could check them out. Even the fact that Harry Potter was Headmaster of the school didn't prevent the formidable witch from ordering the concerned parents to leave; although she promised them an update as soon as her initial tests were complete.

The four students were in fact relieved when the nurse told them that they would be spending the night in the Hospital Wing. They all knew that they were in serious trouble, and they wanted to put off facing their parents for as long as possible. Even though it was barely dark, none of them made any argument when Madam Pomfrey instructed them to put on their pajamas and go to bed. In fact, after such an exhausting day they were more than ready for sleep.

Meanwhile their parents assembled in the Headmaster's office to decide how such a difficult situation should be handled. No one said a word when Remus and Tonks joined in, for they all knew that the two had special feelings for Grace Whitechapel.

"It's a flagrant violation of the rules for them to leave the school grounds without permission; they clearly put themselves and others at risk by their actions," Hermione declared with a note of regret in her voice. "As teachers we have a responsibility to see that the rules are equally enforced among all of the students."

"No one is suggesting that they be treated in a special way, Hermione," Cho said, a bit annoyed that anyone would suggest such a thing. "But before we make a decision on punishment we must understand why they did it."

"And their actions did lead to the discovery of Narcissa Malfoy and her coven. Had they not acted as they did she might have escaped to do even more harm," Tonks declared, trying to put the best face on events.

"That's not the point, Tonks," Hermione declared in frustration. "We establish these rules to protect the students and they need to be obeyed."

"I seem to remember three first year students who broke the rules rather frequently and actually seemed to make things better by their intervention," Harry said rather wistfully. "They are our children, and it's only natural that they should take after their parents."

Hermione's features softened as she remembered the days of which Harry spoke, and she smiled ever so slightly. "Yes, I guess it is," she said with a touch of nostalgia.

"I think we do owe them the right to be heard, and I'm not prepared to make any decision on this matter until they can talk to us. What about Narcissa, what is to become of her?" Harry asked, addressing the Ministry representative.

"We've already connected her to at least a dozen murders, both of muggles and magical folk. She seemed to take great pleasure in confessing to the murder of Professor Snape, who she referred to as a traitor. She will be given a fair trial, but given her record she is almost certain to face execution," Tonks replied grimly.

"Then our first concern needs to be Grace Whitechapel and how we can insulate her from this as much as possible. The fact that her Mother willingly used the child in such a way must have already caused the child terrible pain, and to be faced with her Mother's execution might cause irreparable damage." Luna declared.

"I'm afraid the story has already reached the press; the _Daily Prophet_ is putting out a special edition with the headline: '_The Last Death Eater Captured_.' We've managed to keep the children's involvement out of the story, and Graces' true identity will remain confidential, but I'm afraid that Narcissa Malfoy and her subsequent fate will be a matter of public record. I'm afraid she will be a major topic of discussion for some time." Harry said sadly.

"The children will be excused from classes tomorrow and given a chance to rest. As much as possible I want their involvement in these events kept quiet. I want Grace given time to come to terms with all that has happened," Harry said with a note of resignation.

"I think I can help with that Harry; would you mind if I spoke to her?" Tonks said solemnly.

Harry looked at his old friend for a few seconds before giving her a sad smile. "I think that might be a very good idea."

- o -

But later that night, sitting before the dying fire in his office, Harry was a good deal less certain of what to do. It was an impossible decision for any parent to face. He had no doubt that his daughter and her friends had not merely broken school rules, but had absolutely shattered them. But he was equally certain that without their actions Narcissa Malfoy would still be at large to carry on her reign of terror, and no one could guess how many more would die in the process.

Making matters worse, Harry could not forget his own school days, when he and his friends had blatantly broken the rules themselves. And yet now he was the Headmaster, and he could not show favoritism, and especially for his own child. Faced with this impossible decision he did the only thing he could do; he asked his best friend and the mother of their children. He had learned years before that Luna's unique wisdom was far superior to his own, and that she had a gift of providing just the right answers to the challenges that he faced.

As she sat beside him, holding his hand in silence, Harry knew that he needed her help once again. When he looked into her bright silver eyes he saw the love, loyalty and compassion that made him love her so much; as well as that glint of playfulness that would keep their marriage forever young.

"What would you do?" he asked, hoping to find a way out of his dilemma.

"I'm not the Headmaster…" she said calmly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "But if it were me I think I'd approach the problem one piece at a time. What would be your punishment for leaving school grounds without permission?"

"At least two weeks detention and points lost as well," Harry responded with grim resignation.

"How many points Harry?"

He thought for a moment and then responded, "I'd have to take fifty points from each of them; that would be two hundred points from Gryffindor."

"And now for helping to find the last Death Eater; what would be the reward for that?" She asked coyly.

Harry was a little thick sometimes, but in the years that they had been married Luna's quick mind had begun to rub off on him, and he immediately saw where she was going. With a smirk on his face he immediately replied: "I would have to award each of them fifty points as well as giving each an award for special services to the school."

"Fine, then each of them should receive a two week detention, loose fifty points, gain fifty points and receive special awards for services to the school." Luna said with the dreamy smile that reminded him very much of the fourteen-year-old girl that he had fallen in love with so many years before.

Harry looked at Luna with something approaching awe; her wisdom never ceasing to amaze him. "You should be Headmaster," he said sincerely.

"I'm more than happy to do without the headaches, thank you very much," she said with a smirk. "But as to the detentions; may I suggest that they do them with Hagrid?"

"And why Hagrid?" Harry asked, his smile matching the one on Luna's face.

"The Unicorns will be having their young shortly, and as they are an endangered species Hagrid will need to make a count of the babies. I think the children will find it very educational to assist him," Luna said with a sly look.

"You should have been in Slytherin," Harry said in admiration. "Very well, two weeks with Hagrid counting baby Unicorn. That should be a severe lesson," he said sarcastically.

"Of course," Luna replied sincerely, a twinkle in her eyes.

Two days later two hundred rubies dropped out of the Gryffindor hourglass in the Great Hall. And before the students present could even gasp, two hundred rubies were added back in.

- o -

The four children were released from the Hospital Wing the next morning, but were careful to avoid contact with other students. They went to the kitchen to get a bite of breakfast, but not even Dobby could persuade them to eat much. All four were unusually quiet, for in the past two days they had seen things that were never intended for children's eyes. Of the four, Grace was by far the most despondent, and was close to tears all morning long. Sean did his best to console her, but there was little that he could say to make her feel better. The terrible truth about her Mother made her feel that she would never be happy again. At the first opportunity she slipped away from her friends and went to her secret place by the lake, where she could be alone.

Her friends tried without success to find her, and finally made the decision to bring their parents into the search. Grace meanwhile was sitting under a lonely tree by the Black Lake crying. She thought about how lucky her friends were to have parents who loved and cared for them, while her Mother turned out to be a monster. Grace had always been alone in her life, but at least she had been able to believe that she once had a kind and loving Mother; and now that belief was gone.

Suddenly she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she looked up into the compassionate eyes of her friend Tonks. The older woman sat down next to the young girl, and holding Grace in her arms, allowed the child to cry. Tonks herself was crying as she realized the grief the child was suffering.

Finally cried out, Grace looked at Tonks with eyes red from crying. "How could my Mother be so cruel? How could she want me to be so cruel?" The girl asked, tears starting to run down her cheeks once again.

"I don't know Grace," Tonks replied sadly. "I've never known why our family could be the way they were."

"Our family?" Grace asked in surprise.

"Yes Grace, your Mother is my Aunt. Your Mother and mine were sisters, which makes us cousins. I've never understood why our family felt the need to turn to the dark side. I never did, and I know you never will. Perhaps together we can set our family back on the right course. We would very much like to have you come and live with us as our daughter. Do you think that you might like that?"

Grace looked at the older woman in shock. "You want me…as your daughter?" She said in a trembling voice.

"Of course we want you. I've wanted you from the moment I first met you, and so has Remus,"

Tonks said sincerely.

"Yes!" Grace exclaimed, and threw herself into her cousin's arms.

- o -

In the hours following the battle at the Shrieking Shack, Harry discussed the student's involvement with their parents and the teaching staff. It was essential that there was no appearance of preferential treatment in his handling of the matter; but at the same time he wanted to protect the children from the harsh glare of the media, which was certain to take an active interest in the case. He especially wanted to protect Grace Whitechapel, who would need both time and support in order to come to terms with the truth about her Mother.

But when the time finally came to meet with the children, Harry insisted that he would meet with them alone. He felt with fewer adults present the children would be more willing to open up and discuss the matter freely. So after a day of rest, Hermione escorted four very nervous students into the Headmaster's office. Hermione gave the children a small, supportive smile and then left the office.

As Harry motioned them to four comfortable chairs in front of his desk, he could see immediately that Grace Whitechapel was near the end of her tether, and he knew that he would have to be very delicate in his handling of the matter. He gave them what he hoped was a warm, reassuring smile, and then passed a jar of licorice wands across his desk to them. He had learned from Professor Dumbledore that such a simple gesture tended to put people at their ease, though he found that most of his students preferred licorice to lemon drops. Once they were all settled, and each child had taken a wand, Harry began to speak in a reassuring tone.

"Well, you've all had quite an adventure. It quite reminds me of my own school days," he said humorously. "Not many First- and Second-year students have seen what you have; how do you feel about it?"

Before anyone could say a word Grace blurted out a confession. "It was all my fault, Professor; they didn't want to go at all, I made them. I'm the only one that should be expelled."

Immediately the room erupted as the other children tried to take the responsibility onto their own shoulders. Harry also noticed that Grace was beginning to cry, and was encouraged as he saw Sean Finnegan reach over and take her hand.

Harry raised his hands in a pacifying manner. "Now no one is going to be expelled, and I know that no one would have to drag Lizzie and Ronnie into such an adventure; they were probably leading the way," he said, smirking at his daughter.

Lizzie chose that moment to speak up. "We wanted to go with Grace; she's our friend and we weren't going to let her go alone."

"And I'm glad that you didn't. But you do admit that you left school grounds without permission?" Harry asked.

"Yes Sir," they all responded solemnly.

"Very well, then this is my judgment. You all violated school rules when you left school grounds without permission. You put your own lives and the lives of others in danger by doing so. At the same time, your actions helped to ensure the capture of several very dangerous individuals. You will each serve detention after class every day for the next two weeks and you will each loose fifty house points."

The faces on all four children dropped as they realized that Gryffindor had just lost any chance to win the House Cup, and that it was all their fault.

"However, along with the punishment you are each entitled to a reward for your help; as well as for the courage and loyalty that you've shown. You will each receive fifty house points as well as special awards for services to the school….Oh, and by the way, by special request your detentions will be served with Hagrid." With wide grins on their faces the four students were then dismissed.

In the days that followed the other students tried to discover what had happened with Grace and her friends, but their questions went unanswered; the four simply refused to discuss it. Still, there were confused clues for those who took notice. A new award had appeared in the Trophy Case announcing that the four young children had won an award for special services to the school. There was also the fact that all four students were serving detention after class each day. A two week detention indicated a major infraction of the rules. And then some students had noticed that almost all of the rubies had dropped out of the Gryffindor hourglass one morning, and then were immediately restored. No one could really figure out what was going on; and yet as the four students walked down the hall together, older students had the feeling that they were watching something rather special.

- o -

Two weeks later Harry, Luna and Hermione sat in the Headmaster's Office waiting the arrival of Tonks and Remus Lupin, and their newly adopted daughter Grace. Remus had spoken to Harry the previous night to arrange a meeting to discuss their "daughter's future education." Both Harry and Hermione wondered about his choice of words, but they would find out soon enough.

As the family entered his office, Harry could see that Tonks and Remus were beaming with pride, and sensed that the meeting would be in no way negative. Grace took the chair between her new parents, and seemed to be unusually happy.

"Tonks and I have made the decision that we would like to remove Grace from her classes for the rest of the term and take her home with us. We need some time alone to come to terms with all that has happened and see if we can become a family." Remus said, taking his daughter's hand.

"I'm afraid that should Grace leave the school at this time she would find it nearly impossible to complete the necessary course work in order to advance to third year classes," Harry said, pretending that he didn't know exactly what was on the minds of his friends.

"Professor Potter, I really don't feel that I've learned the material this year to advance to third-year classes, and I would like to repeat my second year to make sure I've learned what I need to know." Grace said in a carefully rehearsed statement, trying to look serious but still betraying a slight smile.

"But Grace, your grades are just fine; in fact better than the majority of students," Hermione said in shocked disbelief.

Harry looked over at his old friend in amazement; and she had always declared that men were so thick. He would have to explain it to her later.

"No, I just don't think that I am ready for third-year classes," Grace said firmly.

"And do you support your daughter's request to repeat her second-year?" Harry asked with a tiny smile of his own.

"Yes we do," Tonks and Remus answered together. "We think that it's for the best," Remus added.

"The Board of Governors does require that two professors agree that a child should repeat a year," Harry said, glancing at his wife.

Never one to miss her cue, Luna took that moment to speak up. "Yes, I would be the second; I'm afraid that Grace is still a bit deficient in Ancient Runes."

"Oh yes, I'm sure that with our daughter and Ronnie Weasley to help her she would be deficient in that subject….I never realized that you had so much Slytherin in you, Dearest."

Luna looked shocked for just a moment and then smiled wickedly. "How do you think I got you?" She asked coyly.

Now it was Harry's turn to look shocked. "Very well, young lady, you can restart your second year classes in September."

After the parents and child had left, Hermione looked at Harry in shock. "What just happened here? You know that there is nothing wrong with that child's grades."

"Of course not," Harry said shaking his head. "And to think you always called me and Ron thick. Grace just wants to go through school in the same class as her friends.

Hermione immediately had a hundred objections, but when confronted with the wide grins on the faces of her friends she just held her tongue.

- o -

Defying conventional wisdom, Gryffindor won both the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup that year. Truly the fortunes of Gryffindor House had changed, and with the core of their victorious Quidditch team only finishing their first year, House members anticipated many more victories in the future.

Lizzie and her friends didn't give that much thought, as their thoughts were centered upon the upcoming summer holidays and the fun that they were going to have. Sean Finnegan announced that him parents were planning to move to Ottery St. Catchpole as soon as term ended; and Grace had already settled in with the Lupins. It promised to be a fun and exciting summer, with more adventures awaiting them on their return to school in the fall. After all, the children of Harry Potter and his friends were most certainly destined for exciting lives, and they could hardly wait.

The End


End file.
